The Road to be a Pokemon Master: Orange Islands Arc
by FanaticLAguy06
Summary: Sequel to "The Road to be a Pokemon Master: Kanto Arc". Ash has now decided to take his training more seriously while Serena ponders over what she wants to do in her life. However, a request from Professor Oak leads them and their friends to the Orange Islands. What awaits them there?
1. The After Party

**A/N: Hello everybody! Welcome to the Orange Islands Arc! If you haven't read the Kanto arc yet, please do so! It was nice to take a small break from writing, but now I'm back! As expected, my writing is pretty slow going now, but I'm getting the chapters done little by little. I have a pretty good outline of the whole Orange Islands arc so hopefully when I do write, it will be a rather productive session. My goal is to be done with Orange Islands by the end of the year, but we'll see. My goal was to finish Kanto by the end of 2014, but I was a few months off. I'm looking at about 18 chapters total for the Orange Islands right now, but it may extend to 19 or 20 depending on how long the Pummelo Stadium part is. With that, please enjoy this first chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter One: The After Party

Pallet Town was known as the town where the shades of one's journey await. It certainly lived up to that name, also. Many trainers came by every year to start their new Pokemon journey by receiving a starter Pokemon from none other than Professor Oak. He was known as the authority on Pokemon. No matter what the subject was, if it involved Pokemon, chances are Professor Oak knew the answer. Despite this, he was still learning new things every day despite his elderly age.

Speaking of the professor, he had just gotten back to his lab in Pallet Town from cheering on a boy he knew well who participated in the Pokemon League. Professor Oak gave a yawn as it was now late at night. The site of the Pokemon League, the Indigo Plateau, was quite a distance away. On the old bones of someone like Professor Oak, the trip was pretty tiring. He just didn't seem to have the stamina he once did which was quite a shame due to how much he used to love traveling to study different Pokemon. Sure, he may have driven, but even that was tiring now.

The elderly Professor had left the lab for a few days and left it in the care of his granddaughter, Daisy Oak. It was a blessing to have a family member who liked research as much as he did. Professor Oak didn't know what he would do without her sometimes.

Coming into the lab room with his main computer with a rice ball in hand, Professor Oak decided to check his email before heading to bed. Despite only being away from his lab a few days, he wouldn't be surprised if his inbox was completely full. He was always receiving emails from past trainers, fans who just wanted to say hi, messages from the other Pokemon professors in the world, but every once in a while, his inbox would be chock full of junk mail, which was quite annoying.

Professor Oak gave another yawn as he sat down in his wheelie chair before turning on his computer. As he waited for his email to come up, he took a bite of his rice ball before sighing in contentment. The beauty of rice balls was that they made a great, light snack for both the day and nighttime hours. They were so simple yet so satisfying. Professor Oak sighed as the page to his email finished loading. As expected, his inbox was quite full. That didn't always mean any of these were important, however. It just seemed to be a lot of junk mail.

"Hmmm…junk mail. Junk mail. Junk mail," Professor Oak muttered as he went down the list, deleting anything that didn't seem interesting. How many deletes did it take for some people to realize that he had no interest in the latest vacuum cleaner which could suck up dirt like no other, or how no camping trip was complete without these special gloves on sale? It was quite annoying.

The only other thing in here that seemed to be worth paying attention to seemed to be an email from Professor Elm of the Johto region. He was a brilliant, if not absent-minded, young man who specialized in the breeding and abilities of Pokemon. Professor Elm had once been a student of Professor Oak before being able to become a professor himself. It made the elderly Oak proud.

The email was clearly about a new theory he had in the abilities of Pokemon. That was one thing Professor Elm was always adamant about. Anytime he thought he came up with something new, he immediately rushed over his notes for Professor Oak's approval and wouldn't accept no for an answer. Professor Oak would get to that one tomorrow when he had more time and wasn't half asleep.

As Professor Oak continued to sift through his email, his mind wandered to the four children who most recently started their Pokemon journeys, particularly the boy whom he had gone to root for at the Pokemon League. That boy was Ash Ketchum, son of Red and Delia Ketchum. He was an eleven year old, raven-haired boy who showed a lot of promise as a Pokemon trainer. He had just done Pallet Town very proud by placing in the Top Four in the Pokemon League. That was no small feat from someone who had only been a Pokemon trainer for a year. He loved Pokemon like no other and was always putting others before himself. There was just something special about him.

However, that didn't mean the other three who started with Ash weren't special, either. In fact, the four of them combined showed the most promise out of any group of trainers in a very long time, probably since Red Ketchum, Blue Oak, who happened to be Professor Oak's son and champion of the Kanto Pokemon League, and Rose Green. It was almost natural that three of the next group of great trainers were their descendents.

One of the other three was a girl by the name of Serena Gabena. She had a pair of dazzling blue eyes with long hair the color of honey. To be honest, despite the promising group of trainers from last year, it had been Serena who worried Professor Oak the most at first. The poor girl had no idea what she wanted to do and only seemed to start her journey because all of her friends were. However, Professor Oak was pleased to be proven wrong as the girl competed in the fairly new concept of the Battle Chateau and conquered it, earning the title of "Grand Duchess".

The next one happened to be his own grandson, Gary Oak. The spiky, brown-haired boy had almost effortlessly collected all eight badges of the Kanto region and wasted no time in bragging about it. Gary always had a huge ego, and in the end, that ended up being his downfall. After suffering a crushing defeat from a cold boy by the name of Paul early in the Pokemon League, Gary went off on his own to do a bit of soul searching and private training. It upset Professor Oak a great deal to see his grandson leave on such a terrible note, and Daisy and Blue didn't fare too much better when they learned of it. Professor Oak couldn't help but wonder all the time where his grandson was. Hopefully, this departure would change him for the better. That's what Gary promised, anyway, and Professor Oak believed in him.

The last one of the Pallet Town quartet was a girl with long brown hair whose name was Leaf Green and was Rose Green's daughter. Not much of a battler, Leaf had taken up the task of filling up her pokedex with as many Pokemon as she could. The girl did an exceptional job at it indeed. She had captured almost every type of Pokemon in the Kanto region, and the only Pokemon she didn't have in her pokedex were a few key legendaries like Articuno, Zapdos, or Moltres. What really baffled the professor, though, is when he discovered Leaf had data on the elusive Mew, one of the rarest Pokemon in the world. Even more amazing was the other three in the Pallet Town quartet had data on it, too. Given their reactions when Professor Oak discovered that information, it was something he was supposed to know about. Professor Oak, of course, had inquired them about this, but they were pretty tight-lipped. Being a Pokemon researcher, he was extremely disappointed, but it must be a good reason that they weren't allowed to tell.

Professor Oak had just finished reminiscing of the four trainers when he reached his last email. Just like the many others before it, it was junk. Professor Oak deleted the last one before finishing his rice ball and standing up to go to bed. He gave a stretch before slowly heading towards his bedroom. That was when he heard another beep coming from his computer. Professor Oak turned around and saw he had just received another email. Really? At this hour?

Professor Oak sighed and thought about ignoring it for right now. That was until he noticed who it was from. The email had come from another Pokemon researcher who went by Professor Ivy. This was rather unusual. He was good friends with her just like all of the other professors, but she seemed to be in contact the least.

"I wonder what this could be about," Professor Oak mumbled as he went back over to his computer.

Why would Professor Ivy be emailing him so late? Actually, it wasn't too big of a surprise. She had a bad habit of staying up late because she was caught in her research and usually didn't get enough sleep at night. Professor Oak couldn't help but be worried about her health sometimes with her unclean lifestyle, too. He had been to her house before, and quite frankly, it looked like her closet blew up.

Even so, she must have a really good reason for doing this. Professor Oak's curiosity got the best of him as he clicked on the email and began to read it. As he went deeper into the letter, his droopy eyes began to get wider with each word until he almost felt quite awake. This was certainly something unusual, and it was very interesting, too! He definitely wanted to know more about this.

"Hmmm…how intriguing," Professor Oak said as he clicked 'reply' and hastily typed a message back to Professor Ivy.

* * *

Morning had come too soon for the likes of a few residents of Pallet Town. One in particular was Ash Ketchum. The eleven-year old boy knew that Pallet Town was throwing him a party in recognition of how great he did at the Pokemon League, but he couldn't find the strength to get out of bed. Despite vowing to get stronger and train harder, waking up was always his greatest weakness. Ash's alarm went off at eight-thirty sharp, but Ash merely hit the snooze button before rolling over to face away from the offending clock.

"Pika Pi! Pikachu!" Pikachu, his faithful partner, called as it leaped onto Ash's bed and began prodding him with its tiny fingers. They yellow rodent had been awake for almost an hour and was getting bored of waiting for Ash. That was the fifth time he pressed the snooze button!

"Five more minutes, Pikachu," Ash mumbled. "Competing in the Pokemon League can really take a lot out of you. I'm surprised you aren't just as tired as me."

"Piiiiiiiika," Pikachu sighed.

The only time Ash ever was wake early was when he had an important match, or breakfast was ready. No such thing existed today, however. Delia Ketchum, Ash's mother, didn't cook breakfast this morning as she wanted Ash to save his appetite for the party which started at eleven o'clock.

Pikachu could clearly see that Ash wasn't going to get up through normal means. The yellow rodent's first instinct was to shock him awake like it was used to doing. However, maybe that would be a little on the harsh side. As funny as it was to see Ash with the worst bed hair ever, Ash would sometimes merely just glare at Pikachu before going back to sleep anyway. Pikachu, however, now had another ace up its sleeve. It quietly hopped off Ash's bed before leaping at the door knob to turn it and left the room.

Inwardly, Ash was thankful that Pikachu didn't shock him as usual. Still, it had to be planning something to just leave him alone like this. Oh well, he was too tired to dwell on it.

Pikachu returned about two minutes later with the newest member of the Ketchum household, Red's Mr. Mime, which Delia affectionately referred to as "Mimey". The imitation Pokemon was wearing a cooking apron and carrying a duster in one hand and pulling a vacuum cleaner in the other. Pikachu had informed it of how messy Ash had made his room the second he got back to Pallet Town, and Mr. Mime could have none of that!

Mr. Mime took a quick look around Ash's room before putting on a look of resolve. It NEEDED to clean this room right now. It then pressed the on button for the vacuum cleaner and immediately went to work.

"Aaaahhh!" Ash cried as he practically jumped out of his skin as the loud machine turned on. It sounded like a jet had just taken off in his room.

The raven-haired boy then looked over and saw Mr. Mime diligently cleaning his room. It was using its hands to work the vacuum cleaner and using its psychic powers to levitate the duster and having it dust various surfaces of Ash's room.

"Come on, Mr. Mime! You couldn't wait until I was done sleeping?!" Ash exclaimed in annoyance.

"Miiiiiime," Mr. Mime shook its head in response. Any mess had to be cleaned as quickly as possible, no matter what the time.

Ash sighed before turning to look at Pikachu who had a cheesy grin plastered on its face that its plan had worked. "This was your doing, wasn't it?" Ash asked it.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu chirped in response with a smug look on its face.

"That's it. You're toast, Pikachu," Ash uttered as he narrowed his eyes.

Pikachu gave a mock of look of worry before sticking its tongue out at Ash. The raven-haired boy had enough of that and immediately jumped out of his bed to chase the rodent. The two exited the room quite quickly leaving Mr. Mime in peace to do its cleaning.

* * *

It was now eleven o'clock in Pallet Town, and many people were gathered at Professor Oak's ranch where the party was taking place. Almost a third of the population of Pallet Town had come for the party. Maybe it wasn't saying that much considering how small Pallet Town was, but there was more than enough people for the party to be a huge success. People were chatting animatedly about all sorts of things.

Standing on a podium at the very front of the ranch was Ash. He had Pikachu, Professor Oak, and Delia by his side. All of Ash's other Pokemon were standing a short distance away on the other side that the others weren't on. Professor Oak coughed lightly into a microphone to get everyone's attention. He was a little tired from staying up late last night, but he would get by just fine for one day. As soon as the conversations died down and all eyes turned to the group on stage, Professor Oak began to speak.

"Hello everyone. Thank you so much for attending this party to support Ash after his very first Pokemon League. He's done Pallet Town very proud and represented our small town excellently," he said, to which everyone began to clap their hands.

Ash looked around at all the people who came to attend. There were well over a hundred people who made it. It warmed his heart considerably at how many people supported or cared for him. However, the residents of Pallet Town didn't even come close to his loved ones that had attended the party. Brock, Misty, Leaf, Rose, and Grace were here. Yellow had come from Viridian City to attend the party, and even his Uncle Riley had come and appeared to be fully recovered from his injury. Lastl, there was Serena, the wonderful girl who was always there for him, and his girlfriend. The only ones who were missing was Blue Oak due to his duties as the League Champion and Red Ketchum.

Ash then felt the microphone pushed into his hand by Professor Oak. Ash looked up at the Pokemon Professor who gave him a nod to say something. Truthfully, there was a lot things Ash wanted to say. He could go through every single person at this party and what they meant to him, but that would take forever. Instead, Ash decided to just make his speech short and sweet.

"Umm…for everyone who supported me in the Pokemon League. I just want to say thank you all so much. It really means a lot to me for you all to be here," Ash said and gave a bow for emphasis of his appreciation. He then turned to Professor Oak, "And thank you for hosting, Professor."

"It's my pleasure, Ash," Professor Oak smiled while people applauded once more at Ash's short speech. He then took the microphone back from Ash before speaking once more. "I would also like to take this short time to recognize my grandson, Gary Oak, who couldn't be here due to certain circumstances. He worked very hard and was in the Pokemon League, too!"

The spectators nodded and gave an applause for the absent Gary Oak, too. Even Ash made sure to do so. He really couldn't help but wonder where Gary was right now. He gave a brief glance at his childhood friend, Leaf, to see if there was any strange reaction from her. Thankfully, there wasn't, and that truly meant she was back to normal.

"Finally, I just want to salute Ash for coming into the Top Four! Now let's enjoy the party!" Professor Oak concluded as he held up a glass of punch in his free hand. Everyone else raised their glasses, as well, before taking a sip.

Everyone then dispersed to do their own thing while Ash knelt down next to Pikachu while his other Pokemon came over to him, also. They all formed a small circle around Ash as he wanted to say a private thanks to them.

"Thank you so much, guys. I couldn't have made it this far without you. You are the best Pokemon a guy could ever ask for. I love all of you,and let's not forget Aerodactyl and Butterfree who aren't with us right now," he told them.

His Pokemon all smiled at their trainer's words before closing in for a group hug with him. They knew of their trainer's desire to get stronger, and they shared that passion, too. Every one of them was going to redouble their efforts and become more powerful just like Ash. Today, however, they would enjoy themselves.

The trainer and Pokemon broke their hug after about another ten seconds before separating and mingling into the party, as well. Ash smiled as he watched them go before going to find his other friends. He hadn't taken more than a few steps when a frightening mantis Pokemon stepped in his way. It was none other than Serena's Scyther. For some strange reason, this Pokemon had a strong dislike for Ash. The usual glint appeared in its eye when it was around Ash.

"Umm…hey there, Scyther. What's up?" Ash asked it trying to be friendly. He really hoped to avoid any unnecessary conflict with the Pokemon at his own celebrations.

Then, to his great surprise, Scyther held out one of its bladed arms for Ash to shake and nodded. It still didn't seem to have a friendly expression on its face, but it seemed even Scyther could set aside its dislike for Ash for at least a little bit so it could congratulate him.

"Oh. Thanks, Scyther," Ash said as he took the bladed arm and shook it. "Maybe this can be the start of a great friendship between us."

Scyther narrowed its eyes in response to that, and Ash gulped. It was pretty much telling Ash to not count on it. Well, he could hope, at least. Pikachu frowned at this, but Scyther merely gave an uncaring look at Pikachu in response. It wasn't afraid of that yellow rat.

"Now, Scyther. I don't want you causing any trouble for Ash during his own party. Do you hear me?" a girl's voice sounded to the side of them.

That, on the other hand, was something Scyther was scared of. The two Pokemon and boy turned to the side to see Serena Gabena standing there with her hands on her hips. Cubone and Togepi were beside her, mimicking her motions. Ash gave a smile once he saw her.

Yes. Scyther was all too aware of the wrath of its trainer if she was truly upset, and it didn't want to be on the receiving end of it. It gave a grumble before slouching off to the nearby fruit table where Grace and Delia were conversing. It then stabbed its right scythe through the apple and shoved the fruit in its mouth, causing Grace to gasp at the Pokemon's savage nature.

"What am I going to do with you, Scyther?" Serena sighed as she placed her hand to her forehead in frustration. She then turned towards Ash and returned the smile he was giving her. "Hey, you."

"Hey," Ash responded as he went over to her.

Togepi gave a happy cry and waddled over towards its daddy. Ash grinned and picked up Togepi before playfully tossing it into the air and catching it again, which the spikeball Pokemon loved. He then set it down on his shoulder, being careful to hold onto it.

"There sure are a lot of people here," Serena commented.

"Yeah. A lot more than I thought," Ash responded as he looked around.

"What makes you say that?" Serena asked as she tilted her head to the side.

"Well, before I started my Pokemon journey, hardly anyone knew who I was in Pallet Town. I still remember the very first day of our journey. Gary had a truck load of fans, and all I had was my mom," Ash said.

"That just proves how far you really have come," Serena replied. "I saw it in the Pokemon League, too. You had a really rough start, but by the end of the league, everybody loved you. You just have a magnetic personality."

"Heheheheh, yeah," Ash replied as he rubbed the back of his head and blushed.

It was true. In reality, Ash didn't know half of the people here at the party. They certainly knew who he was, however. It almost made him feel like some kind of celebrity, but he wouldn't go down the arrogant path. It wouldn't hurt to try to speak with everyone who came to the party. They did come here because they supported him, after all. Ash could show his appreciation by at least thanking them and getting their name.

"Hey, guys!" Brock suddenly shouted as he popped up between Ash and Serena, causing them both to jump. Vulpix came up with Brock before sitting down next to his feet.

"What's up, Brocko?" Ash asked as he saw the dark-skinned teen.

"Man, if there's one thing Pallet Town is good at, it's throwing a party!" Brock exclaimed as he took a huge slurp of noodles with some sort of orange powder on them. "These spicy noodles are the best! I have to get the recipe!"

"Wait a second, Brock. Are you okay?" Serena asked once she saw how much he was sweating.

"Of course!" Brock replied as he began panting from how hot the noodles were. "A little spiciness never hurt anyone. Woah!"

"Psy?" Misty's Psyduck piped up as it came up to the group.

"Oh. Hey, Psyduck. Why aren't you with Misty?" Ash inquired.

"Psyduck," Psyduck replied as it shrugged its shoulders.

"Do you want to try some of these noodles, Psyduck?" Brock asked as he gave a single noodle to Psyduck. His mouth appeared to be blistering now.

"Duck?" the duck Pokemon said as it took the noodle from Brock and looked at it curiously. It then slurped the noodle up and gave a contented sigh. No sooner had three seconds passed that Psyduck's face turned a beet red. It then began screaming and frantically running around in circles before blowing a huge burst of fire from its mouth.

"Woah. Psyduck used Flamethrower," Serena commented as the group watched the poor duck run around.

Cubone was really grateful that Psyduck had tried the noodles first so now it knew not to. It was just about ask Brock for some when Psyduck showed up. Sometimes, going first was not always the best option. It would remember that in the future.

"It can't be that bad," Ash said as he took a couple of noodles himself before he, too, started yelling from the intense heat of the noodles.

"Okay, Staryu and Starmie! Cool Ash and Psyduck down with Water Gun!" a new voice shouted to their left.

Two star shaped Pokemon appeared in front of the distressed person and Pokemon. They then shot a stream of water from their top part into the two's mouths. Ash and Psyduck then let out a sigh.

"Thanks, Misty," Ash said to the newcomer as she joined the circle.

"It's no problem, Ash," the red-haired girl replied before giving a disapproving look at Psyduck. "You see, Psyduck. This is why I can't let you out of my sight for one second. You always seem to be getting in some kind of trouble on your own."

"Duck?" it inquired as it looked at Misty in confusion.

"Never mind," Misty sighed before looking at Brock. "Seriously, Brock. How are you able to withstand these noodles?"

"Who knows? I guess it's because I cooked so much growing up, I've tasted all ranges of food so I'm used to it," Brock shrugged as he continued to slurp up the orange noodles like nothing was wrong.

"Well, you will certainly make a great housekeeper one day, Brock," Ash joked.

"Hahaha. Very funny, Ash. You know I'm still aiming to be a Pokemon Breeder," Brock said as rubbed Vulpix's head affectionately, causing the fox Pokemon to cry happily. "I think now that I've had a year to get my thoughts together, I can really start taking my breeder career seriously. I'd like to start competing in a few competitions like Suzy does. Only then will I know my skill level."

"I hear you. I guess that makes two of us. I now know the areas I need to grow in the most so I can really start training now," Ash responded.

"Count me in. I hear there are some great smaller competitions for me to compete in throughout the year. It would be fun to try them," Serena added.

"Me, too. If I know of a great spot to get some water Pokemon, I'm there!" Misty finished with a wink.

"It sounds like you all know how you're going to proceed," Leaf commented as she came up from behind the group.

"Yeah. So what are you going to do now, Leaf?" Ash asked her.

"Well, my pokedex is almost complete as far as the Kanto region goes. I'd like to try to search for a little longer around here to see if I can get lucky and get data on the ones I haven't seen yet. Either that, or try to find some Pokemon of differing patterns or colors. That would be fun," Leaf answered.

"Where would you find different colored Pokemon?" Ash wondered aloud.

"Come on, Ash. Surely you know that different areas have some type of effect on the Pokemon there," Leaf said.

"Guess not," Ash shrugged. "I was always into Pokemon, but never the scientific part. I would always fall asleep in class when Professor Oak would start rambling on about it."

"I guess that's why my grandpa always piled you up with homework as punishment," another voice giggled as she approached the group.

The five turned and saw Daisy Oak standing there with a pleasant smile on her face. Brock's face immediately turned red, but not because of the spicy noodles this time. Wow. Daisy, Suzy, Nurse Joy, and Officer Jenny were quite the women. Vulpix couldn't help but tilt its head in confusion at Brock's look.

"Well, yeah, but…," Ash stuttered as he tried to find the right words to say.

"Heehee. I was just coming by to tell you that Riley wanted to speak with you for a second. By the way, congratulations on doing so well at the Pokemon League" Daisy said as she swooped down and gave a light kiss on Ash's cheek.

Ash couldn't help but have his ears burn at the gesture. He knew it wasn't romantic, but there was just something about Daisy's small kisses that made him smile. Maybe it was because she was older, but he didn't really quite understand it. Brock, on the other hand, seemed to seethe with jealousy about how lucky Ash was with the ladies. Pikachu snickered while Vulpix. Togepi, Cubone, and Psyduck looked confused. Kabuto appeared behind Brock and prepared its claws, just in case.

The three other girls rolled their eyes at the boys' goofy expressions, particularly Serena. Leave it to Daisy Oak to stop every boy in their tracks when she passed. She always seemed to have at least one boy ask her out on a date every week, but she politely declined by saying she was busy with research. One thing was for certain, the one boy that would be Daisy's future husband is lucky indeed.

"Heh. Thanks, Daisy," Ash said as she walked off. He then turned to the others and returned to a normal expression. "I'll catch up with you guys in a little bit."

"Alright. We'll be right here," Serena said with a smile which Ash returned. She wasn't upset at Ash for acting like that around Daisy. She was used to it by now.

Ash then headed away from the group to look for his uncle. He passed by Rose and Yellow who gave him a quick hug as congratulations before he moved on. One would think it would be hard to find one person in such a crowd of people, but Riley always stood out like a sore thumb with his odd choice of wardrobe. All Ash had to look for was a cape and a big blue hat.

Ash finally spotted Riley talking with a woman he didn't know. From what Ash could tell, Riley was being rather flattering towards the lady as she was blushing and looked quite nervous. Ash chuckled lightly at this. He couldn't believe how his uncle could be so charming around women and still be single. Then again, Riley had told Ash that he prefers to stay single so he isn't tied down to staying in one place by marriage with as much as he travels.

"Hey, Uncle Riley," Ash greeted as he approached him.

"Ash, I was just wanting to speak with you, but I got sidetracked by talking to this lovely lady right here," Riley said which caused the other woman to giggle.

"Don't let me cramp your style," Ash replied with a smile.

"There's no way you could," Riley grinned back before turning to the other woman. "Pardon me, madam, but I must speak to my nephew privately. Could you leave us for now?"

"Oh, certainly. I'd love to hear more of your stories in the future. Bye now!" the woman said eagerly before hurrying off.

As the lady left, Ash didn't know what it was, but he felt that strange presence once again. He never used to feel it when he was younger, but ever since meeting with Riley on Cinnabar Island, he knew it was there. Did Riley always have this…presence…around him? Ash thought it might be aura-related, and he was really curious. It was like another living thing was right next to them, but it wasn't a human. Maybe a Pokemon? He couldn't see it, but he could sense it. The presence wasn't malicious so Ash wasn't worried by it. It was just different.

"Ash?" Riley inquired once he saw Ash's strange expression.

Ash shook his head. If this being or Riley ever wanted to reveal it, they would. For now, he had to focus on why Riley had called him over.

"Sorry. I was just thinking about something. So how are you feeling?" Ash asked.

"I'm fully recovered now and couldn't be better. Delia advised me to not push myself, but I had to deny her request. I can never stay in one place for more than a few weeks," Riley answered.

Ash was really relieved to hear that. He still remembered when Riley had been shot by Team Rocket while trying to protect his mom. Everyone was really worried for Riley once they found out and thought it might be the end of him. However, Riley's use of aura appeared to have really saved him when he needed it to, and the best part was Ash just heard Riley was fully recovered. Aura truly was an amazing thing.

"That's great, and I'm really glad you're here, too," Ash replied.

"Of course. I wouldn't miss celebrating my nephew's participation in the Pokemon League. Congratulations by the way. That was really something to make it into the Top Four. Both Delia and Red told me they were so proud of you, and of course, I am, too," Riley said with a nod.

"Thanks. Dad told me that when I win a region's league and learn to take care of myself, I'll be ready to learn how to use aura," Ash stated.

"I couldn't agree more with him. Aura will help you the most once you've become the best you can be without it," Riley replied before adding, "Red told me through our aura connection that you are really going to start taking your Pokemon career seriously. Just don't get so caught up in your training that you lose sight of why you are on this journey in the first place."

"I won't," Ash said automatically.

"I mean it, Ash. Too many times, there are trainers just like you who start out wanting to be the best and have fun, but they become so focused on their training that they work themselves and their Pokemon ragged. Ultimately, three things happen to them. They either become cold and angry, they quit because they think they're pathetic, or they go to the wrong side of the law," Riley explained.

Ash's eyes lit up as all of these scenarios were very familiar to him. He knew three different people who fit this criteria perfectly: Paul, Gary, and Giovanni. Paul became cold and angry. Gary didn't quit but he believes himself to be pathetic, and Giovanni was the leader of a criminal gang. They all started off as trainers just like him but lost sight of what their true purpose was as a trainer, and look what happened to them.

"Don't worry. I know the limits of myself and my Pokemon right now. I'll keep in mind what you said," Ash replied more seriously this time.

"Good," Riley replied with a nod before continuing, "Oh right! I wanted to tell you that I know you were looking forward to talking with me and help oversee your training for a while, but unfortunately, I'll be away for a few months. I won't be able to take any calls during this time because I'll be focused solely on this mission."

"Mission? Where are you going?" Ash questioned as he tilted his head.

"I can't reveal too much due to the confidentiality of it, but I'm going to the Orange Islands which are a bit south to the Kanto region. There's a young man who is said to own the largest collection of merchandise in the world. He is very wealthy," Riley explained.

"What's his name?" Ash wondered.

"Well, I can't reveal that," Riley replied as he glanced to the side.

"Why does that involve a secret mission?" Ash asked.

"Well, reports have said that this 'collector's', as they refer him, actions have been a really suspicious lately. Police have tried to inquire him about it, but he denies any wrongdoing on his part. They called me in to investigate the matter and keep tabs on him, in secrecy of course," Riley replied.

"So no one knows what he's trying to do?" Ash questioned.

"Right. I'll be gone until I can figure out what it is he is trying to do exactly. I don't know why, but I have a hunch that it isn't anything good," Riley said rather grimly.

"I see," Ash muttered. He was really hoping to get some training tips in from his uncle now that his dad had left again, but it seemed like he was going to be gone, too, to investigate this collector person.

"I'm really sorry, Ash. I was wanting to help you, too," Riley sighed.

"No. It's okay. I understand why they need you," Ash said.

"Yeah. The police had been trying to contact me for a while on this but I was always traveling so I never got the message. I was going to take Yellow with me, too, due to her psychic power, but the police explicitly told me to go alone as it would draw the least amount of attention to the collector. It has to be me," Riley whispered, worried that he was getting a little too loud with his mission.

"Okay, but nothing's stopping you from visiting once you're done, right?" Ash asked hopefully.

"Definitely not. I promise I'll make time for you when I come back to make up for the time I'm gone," Riley smiled.

"Sounds good, then!" Ash said enthusiastically.

"Pika Pi," Ash's yellow rodent said suddenly while tugging on the pair of his pants.

"What is it, Pikachu?" Ash asked curiously, wondering why the yellow rodent had called him.

"Chu," Pikachu pointed with its little right finger off to its right.

Ash followed the direction it was pointing in and put on a confused look. He saw his Charizard sitting away from everyone else at the party. Its wings were down and there was just the overall feel of melancholy around it, even from this distance. Serena's Charizard, Charla, was trying to tug at its boyfriend and roar encouragingly at it, but Charizard didn't seem to listen.

"I guess one of your Pokemon needs you right now, Ash." Riley figured.

"Yeah. I'll see you later, Riley," Ash waved before nodding in thanks to Pikachu and leaving the scene.

As Ash made his way over to Charizard, he wondered what could be bothering it. All of his Pokemon seemed perfectly happy earlier. Then again, Charizard has been acting a little different ever since It lost to Paul's Electabuzz. Normally, Charizard would have probably eaten all the food at the party so the fact that it wasn't means something was really bothering it.

Upon seeing Ash approaching, Charla gave a slight puff of smoke from its nose and nodded to Ash. Truthfully, it wanted to be the one to cheer up its boyfriend, but there are some things that only a trainer can help with, and the female fire lizard was fine with that. It stepped to the side to give Ash some room and watched the proceedings.

"Hey, Charizard. What's got you down?" Ash asked as he sat down next to it.

Charizard merely mumbled a low level growl in response. It was still thinking about its loss against Paul's Electabuzz. Out of all of Ash's Pokemon, Charizard had been the one to take it the hardest. It had trained so hard to be strong since it was a Charmander when its first trainer, Damian, called it a loser. Ever since joining Ash, it wanted to show how strong it was. Sure, it won plenty of matches, but that didn't change the fact that it lost in one of Ash's most important matches. Ash said it was strong, but it still lost. So who was weak? The trainer or the Pokemon?

"So it's your loss against Paul?" Ash guessed, receiving a nod before continuing. "It isn't your fault you lost, Charizard. You aren't weak at all."

Charizard rolled its eyes at Ash's statement and turned away. That's the same thing its girlfriend had said to it. Saying it isn't weak wasn't going to make it feel any better. Where was the proof that it was strong and not pathetic like Damian had called it?

"Really, Charizard. It wasn't your fault we lost. It was mine," Ash told it.

Once again, Charizard didn't turn to look at Ash.

"You did outstanding against Paul's Electabuzz," Ash continued. "We only lost by a hair, and it was because of my weak training rather than my Pokemon."

Charizard gave a light snort in response.

"So you want proof?" Ash asked. "Charizard, your endurance against Electabuzz's attacks was incredible. You took a multitude of electric attacks of various intensity. You took a Thunder dead on. You endured several Double Thunder Punches. Your determination to win was also great. I still remember how towards the end of the match how Electabuzz was hitting you with Thunderbolt. You didn't let that stop you, though. You pushed through it and continued to charge up your Flare Blitz. Electabuzz even started attacking you with two attacks, but you still pushed through and managed to hit it. That was amazing!"

Charizard finally turned to look at Ash. Okay. Maybe it didn't do terrible against Electabuzz, and Ash made some good points.

"As I said, we lost because of me," Ash muttered. "Remember what I said how we were all going to train harder? I've been holding all of you back from reaching your full potential. Let's start with you. I'm willing to bet had you been able to use two attacks at a time like Paul's Pokemon, we would've won, but I never thought of something like that. Not to mention, I haven't been using the pokedex to study my Pokemon like I should be. It would've revealed the areas needed to be worked in the most for all of you. That way, any weakness you had could be covered."

Charizard sighed. It didn't think of Ash as a horrible trainer. If it did, it wouldn't listen to him. It would've been one of those unruly Pokemon who took naps or attacked their trainer. Charizard couldn't imagine doing those things to Ash. He had saved its life as a Charmander, after all. Ash showed so much care to it and was always encouraging it and its comrades to do their best. Admittedly, it didn't think Ash was a perfect trainer. No one is. Still, it wouldn't prefer to be with anyone but Ash right now.

"My loss against Paul taught me a lot, and it finally opened my eyes to what I need do to be a better trainer," Ash said. "I'll use you as an example again. I now see that your left arm is nowhere near as strong as your right arm. We're going to work on that together. Before you know it, you'll be able to pick up a Snorlax because you have so much arm strength!"

Charizard gave light snort in amusement. Okay. Maybe it wasn't weak like Ash told it. There were just some things it wasn't able to do yet. Charizard hadn't reached its maximum potential yet. When it did, it would be unstoppable. With that, Charizard smiled before standing up and unleashing a Flamethrower towards the sky. Charla smiled and joined Charizard with a Flamethrower of its own.

"That sounds more like the Charizard I know!" Ash said with a nod. He then stood up, too. "Just you wait. You guys are already amazing, but when I'm done with you, nothing will bring you down!"

Charizard gave enthusiastic roar of agreement. Like Ash, it was going to try its hardest and work extra hard. Of course, it had all of its friends to help it, and in turn, it would help them in any areas they needed training in. They would work as a team and be unbeatable. It was then Charizard's stomach growled. It had been so down in the dumps that it forgot how hungry it was!

"Well, what are you waiting for, Charizard? Go help yourself. Just try not eat everything!" Ash told it with a laugh.

Charizard smiled mischievously. That's the key word. It would _try_ not to eat everything. Whether it actually followed through with that was another matter entirely.

Ash gave a nervous smile as he saw Charizard and Charla head over to the noodles table where Professor Oak, Brock, Kingler, and Serena's Hitmonlee were. It appeared Brock still couldn't get enough of those spicy noodles. Upon seeing the two fire lizards heading in their direction, the two humans grimaced and began piling up as much as they could because it might be their last helping. Hitmonlee, on the other hand, merely sighed and walked away. It wasn't that hungry anyway.

Ash was glad he was able to help Charizard overcome its slump. It just needed to be reminded of how hard they would all work from now on. Ash then took a look around to see what his other Pokemon were doing. Hitmonchan and Primeape had just arrived at the noodles table at the exact same time as Charla and Charizard. The two fighting types then started an argument on who should get dibs first between them and the two Charizard. Muk had just found Professor Oak and Kingler moving away from the noodles table at the impending fight and smothered the professor in a sloppy hug while Kingler gave a nervous smile at its antics. Wartortle and Haunter were conversing with Misty's Shellder and laughing a whole lot in the process. Bulbasaur was trying keep up with Serena's energetic Eevee to keep it from hurting itself or someone else in its rashness. Pidgeotto was happily slurping up noodles in a tree. Tauros was with Brock's Onix and letting a few people or Pokemon take turns riding on it which rather surprised Ash. He would have to try that sometime with Tauros. Dratini appeared to be alone but was soon come across by Bulbasaur and Eevee, who happily started chatting with it.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu called as it climbed up Ash's shoulder and smiled at him.

"Hey, buddy. Charizard's much better now as you can see," Ash said as he gestured to the fire lizard, who finally seemed to be content on sharing with Hitmonchan and Primeape.

"Chu!" Pikachu responded it the positive.

Yeah. All of Ash's Pokemon had their own distinct personalities and he wouldn't have them any different than they already were. Each of his Pokemon had many strengths, but in turn had something they didn't excel in. They would discover and work on that together while at the same time improving something they already did exceedingly well. After today, Ash's true training with his Pokemon would finally begin. With that thought in mind, Ash headed back to where his friends and Serena were waiting for him.

* * *

The remainder of the party was very fun for everyone. It lasted well into the late afternoon when people started to trickle out slowly at a time. Pretty soon, the only ones left were the Greens, Oaks, Gabenas, Ketchums, Brock, Misty, and Yellow. Riley had already left for the Orange Islands.

"Hoooo! That party took a lot out of me," Professor Oak commented as he stretched his back.

"Thanks a lot for hosting the party for me, Professor," Ash told him.

"As I said, it was my pleasure, Ash. I'm willing to bet that the next party we throw for you will be because you won a League," Professor Oak told him as he began to clean up.

"Yeah. That would really be something," Ash agreed before adding, "Do you need any help folding that table cloth?"

"It's okay, Ash. I've got it," Rose, Leaf's mother, interjected as she took the other side of cloth to help Professor Oak fold it.

"That's right, Ash. This was your party. It wouldn't do if you helped clean up," Delia said with a smile.

"In fact, if you could go inside my lab and wait for us to clean up, I would greatly appreciate it. There is something I would like to ask of you," Professor Oak said.

"Really?" Ash asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Yes. All of you kids, actually," Professor Oak replied as he gestured to Ash's friends scattered around doing various things to help clean up.

"Well, okay. I'll see you when you're done," Ash shrugged before calling, "Come on, Pikachu."

"Pikachu!" the yellow rodent said as it climbed up on Ash's shoulder and they went inside.

There wasn't much to do once Ash entered the lab. He actually would've preferred to help clean so he would have something to do, but everyone was pretty adamant about letting him relax, so relax he would. Ash sat down on the large couch in Professor Oak's lobby, and it wasn't long before he found himself lying down. Pikachu hopped off his shoulder before curling up at the end of the couch. Upon seeing it, Ash figured Pikachu had the right idea. Maybe a little nap wouldn't hurt while he waited. Ash pulled the cap down over his eyes and began to think about all he had done in the past year, and soon, he was asleep...

XXX

 _Ladies and gentleman! We have ourselves a winner of the Pokemon League! Let's give it up for Ash Ketchum!" the announcer shouted as the crowd erupted into applause._

 _Ash was standing in the middle of the Pokemon Stadium holding his golden trophy high into the air. All of his Pokemon were standing by his side. He couldn't believe it. He had finally won the Pokemon League and was now one step closer to achieving his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master. Taking his dad's advice had really helped him. He and his Pokemon trained extra hard, and that work finally paid off._

 _"Does our winner have anything to say to the crowd?!" a reporter enthusiastically asked as she shoved her microphone in front of Ash._

 _"Well, the only thing I really can say is thanks to all of my friends for believing in me, and of course, thanks to all of my amazing Pokemon!" Ash replied as he turned and gave all of his Pokemon a thumbs-up._

 _"Ash!" a voice called to his right._

 _The raven haired boy turned and saw Serena running towards him as fast as she could. Ash grinned and opened his arms to welcome the embrace Serena was going to give him. Seconds later, she crashed into him with the force of hurricane, nearly toppling him over. She didn't stop there, however. Serena leaned forward and kissed him smack on the lips! Ash's eyes widened at her sudden boldness but soon found himself returning it._

 _Ash then felt a hand placed on his shoulder. He broke his kiss with Serena and spun around to find Brock, Misty, Gary, and Leaf there, with Brock the one who placed his hand on Ash's shoulder. They nodded to Ash before Brock embraced Ash in a brotherly hug. This came off as rather strange to Ash. He didn't know he and Brock were that close, were they? Noogies and high fives, sure, but this? He was soon joined by the other three as they hugged Ash, also._

 _Ash then saw his mom, his dad, and Riley standing next to the others. He grinned and felt his eyes watering in joy that his family was here to see this._

 _The biggest surprise of all was when he saw two girls who were rather unfamiliar to him show up next. One was a girl with brown hair in pigtails, and the other was a girl with long blue hair. It was then that it hit Ash. Was that May and Dawn? He hadn't seen them in forever! Only now, they looked older, closer to his own age than when he met them a long time ago. This was getting a little strange._

 _Despite these oddities, Ash decided to pay it no mind in the end. He had all of his loved ones and Pokemon here with him, and that's all that mattered. Serena leaned her head on Ash's shoulder as he continued to look at everybody cheering for him. That was when he felt something else strange, but it was a different strange, like something was out of place._

 _A thunderclap._

 _Ash looked up and saw massive storm clouds rolling in, and he unknowingly had his hands curl into gentle fists. Upon looking back down, Ash saw the huge audience had disappeared. He then saw his friends and family had lost their happy expressions and were now glaring at the ominous, black clouds above them. His Pokemon were also fixed upon the clouds and were all growling threateningly._

 _Ash then nearly jumped as he heard what sounded like booming laughter coming from the clouds. Wait. They weren't from the clouds. They were coming from someone who was cloaked in shadows that had suddenly appeared in front of the group. The booming laughter it was creating chilled Ash to the bone. It was so sinister._

 _Ash turned to the side and saw Serena clutching his arm in a death grip. She looked so frightened, even more so than he did! In fact, she looked more terrified than anyone else in the group._

 _"Serena?" Ash questioned._

 _Serena didn't answer. Her gaze was fixed solely on the figure in front of them. She then opened her mouth into a horrific scream, which really alarmed Ash. What was going on?!  
_

 _The figure finally ceased its booming laughter before giving a malicious smile at the group. It was then a little more light was shed and Ash could make out the figure's features. It was very tall and burly, well over six feet tall. The clouded figure then finally spoke, confirming it to be human…probably._

 _"The world…is dying," it spoke in a deep voice._

 _XXX_

Ash jolted awake after that. He then looked around and saw he was still in Professor Oak's lab, lying down on his couch. How long had he been out? It couldn't have been too long as his friends still weren't done from cleaning up from the party. The raven-haired boy then turned forward and saw Pikachu was curled up on the end of the couch, fast asleep. It looked so peaceful, a huge contrast to the dream Ash just had.

Speaking of said dream, it had been really weird. It started off as another pleasant dream with Ash winning a League before taking a dark turn rather quickly. It almost reminded him of several months back when he dreamt Team Rocket shot his mother and friends. This one was a lot stranger, though. Why were May and Dawn, whom he only met once, there? Why was Serena so scared? Who in the world was this person…or thing in his dream?

Ash shook his head. In the end, it was just a dream, right? People had all sorts of crazy dreams that were really creepy but never meant anything. This was no different, right? The best thing to do would be to not dwell on it so much. Still, why did he dream something like this now of all time? Was it right to just brush off something like this? Maybe it wouldn't hurt to let someone know who has probably had experience in these types of things.

Red Ketchum.

* * *

 **Well, nothing like starting off the arc with some fun scenes and a little foreshadowing. What was the purpose of that dream? Time will tell, but think back to Ash and Serena's conversation with Moltres. There might be a connection.  
**

 **I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and show just as much support for this story as you did for the first one! I'll have the next chapter up before the end of the month for sure! Another one in May after that is unlikely, but you never know! Stay tuned!**

 **Chapter 2: A Request from Professor Oak**


	2. A Request from Professor Oak

**A/N: Well, I expected a lot of different responses about the dream Ash had. This will be a recurring thing throughout the rest of the series. Foreshadowing, hints, and more dreams will happen throughout the rest of the series** **.**

 **Also, it pleases me to see Serena might be getting an Eevee in the anime. I beat them to it lol!**

 **One more thing, to the guy who keeps sending me essays about why he hates Paul and tries to pass it off as a review, please stop. That is not a review for my story nor does it have anything to do with it, and I will delete it every time so there is no point. Send something like that in a PM.**

 **Now, please enjoy chapter 2. :)**

* * *

Chapter 2: A Request from Professor Oak

Red Ketchum.

If there was anyone who would know if this dream was worth worrying over, it would be him. Still, Ash's father did have a tendency to never answer his calls. He did tell Ash he would try to pick up more often, though. Ash might as well try right now. It had only been a few days since he saw his dad so maybe the man wasn't so wrapped up in whatever he does to notice his son was calling. It wasn't like Ash had anything else to do. Everyone else should almost be done with cleaning up so Ash wouldn't have a chance to go back to sleep anyway.

Ash pulled the Pokegear out from his pocket before flipping it open. He hadn't really used the device as often as he could have. Not only could it be used for making calls, but he could listen to the radio, check a map to try to determine where he was to avoid getting lost. It was so handy. Ash then saw his father's number before dialing it and placing it to his ear. Ash immediately heard ringing on the other end. He almost smiled when he actually heard his dad pick up after almost a few rings.

"Hey there, son. Did you miss me already?" Red asked in a joking manner.

"Dad? You knew it was me?" Ash questioned.

"Of course I did. I have caller ID on my Pokegear so I always know who's calling me. It's pretty useful when you get a lot calls that you could do without. You can know just to ignore them," Red replied.

"I see. So how are you doing?" Ash asked as he briefly thought about what kind of unwanted calls his dad would have.

"Well, I'm doing just fine, and Aerodacyl is doing well, too. It misses you already," Red replied on the other end.

As if on cue, Ash heard a happy screech come from the other end, and he immediately grinned. "Hi, Aerodactyl! How is my dad treating you?"

"Aeerooo!" it replied happily.

"Hahahaha. Yeah. I just now got back from traveling from the Indigo Plateau so I haven't really had a chance to bond with your Pokemon yet, but I think we'll get along just fine!" Red said.

"That's good to hear," Ash responded.

At some point, Ash knew he and his Aerodactyl would be reunited. Red was going to be training it in the meantime. Ash couldn't wait to have it back and see how far it's come along since he last trained with it. His dad would really train it well.

"Hey, Ash. As much as want to believe that you called me just to say hi, something tells me that isn't the case. Is there something on your mind?" Red asked once he noticed Ash's silence.

"Well, yeah. Sort of. I don't even really know if it's something I should be worrying about, though," Ash muttered.

"Okay. What is it, son?" Red inquired, exchanging his light hearted tone for a more serious one.

"Dad, do you…believe in dreams predicting the future?" Ash asked, not knowing how else to put it.

"What do you mean? Did you have a dream of some kind?" Red wondered.

"Yeah. It was really weird, too. It was about me winning the Pokemon League. I had all of my friends and you and Mom and Uncle Riley around me, even people who I hardly know. They all took turns congratulating my Pokemon and me, and then everything changed," Ash started.

"Go on," Red urged gently.

"These really dark clouds began to roll in to cloud all the happiness I was feeling, and this really weird person…or thing appeared with the scariest and craziest laugh I've ever heard. All of my Pokemon and friends were glaring at it. For some reason, Serena was even more terrified than I was. Her fear almost scared me as much as whatever it was in front of me. Then it spoke a really strange message," Ash continued.

"What was it?" Red questioned curiously.

Ash sighed. This was the part where it got the weirdest of all. Who went around saying things like that anyway? What on Earth did it even mean? Ash wished he hadn't woken up so soon so the figure could elaborate on what it had told him. Nevertheless, the message was still very eerie.

"It told me that the world was dying," Ash finished.

Silence was on the other end of the phone. If Ash didn't know better, he would have thought his father had hung up on him. However, Ash could tell that this meant that Red was probably thinking about everything that he had been told. It took a while, but Red finally spoke.

"Well, there's no doubt that was a very cryptic message," Red muttered.

"Do you think there is any truth to that, Dad? Should I just not worry about it?" Ash asked.

"I'm not sure myself, Ash. You have the gift of aura, and sometimes that gift may allow you to see into the future, or at least symbolize it," Red answered, sounding thoughtful.

"So this could have happened because of my aura?" Ash wondered.

"Possibly," Red replied.

"So does this mean that this will happen?" Ash asked, suddenly sounding worried.

"I didn't say that. For all you know, this could have just been a crazy dream with no meaning whatsoever, or it could very well show what the future may hold for you…and the rest of us," Red replied.

"Have you ever been able to predict the future with your dreams?" Ash wondered.

"I've…had a couple of times where that has happened as rare as it was. At the same time, I've also had dreams that I thought meant something, but in the end, nothing of the sort ever happened," Red answered.

"I see. So there's no way to tell if this dream means something, or if that thing or person even exists?" Ash asked, a little disappointed he couldn't learn more.

"The way I look at it, Ash, is even if this does happen, it won't be anytime soon. You said that there were people you hardly knew in the dream, and you were a lot closer to you companions than you thought. Not to mention, you won a League. None of this has happened yet. If that dream is true, it won't happen until all that criteria has been met," Red said.

"So what should I do?" Ash asked in an unsure tone.

"I don't want you thinking about this dream so hard, Ash. Don't blow it off completely, but just keep it in the back of your mind somewhere. Also, don't tell anyone else this dream, not even Serena. There is no sense in anyone getting worked up over something that isn't happening anytime soon. It may even never happen," Red told him.

"Okay. It's just that dream reminded me of the time when Serena and I were talking to Moltres. It told me I would one day be going against something that was pure evil. What if that thing was it? I couldn't feel any amount of good coming from it," Ash muttered.

"As I said, Ash, you shouldn't overanalyze this dream just yet. If you truly want to figure out if this dream meant anything, the best thing you can do is just simply go about your life as if it never happened," Red said seriously.

"Alright. I'll do that. Thanks, Dad," Ash said.

"I don't know how much help I was, but you're welcome," Red responded.

"Alright. It was good to talk to you again. I think I'm going to be meeting my friends soon so I'll let you go, and you're probably busy, too," Ash stated.

"It was good to hear from you, too, Ash. Say bye to Ash, Aerodactyl," Red said.

"Aerrroo!" Ash heard the delighted cry on the other end.

"Hahahahaha! Goodbye to you, too, Aerodactyl!" Ash laughed before finishing, "Bye, Dad."

"Goodbye, son."

With that, Ash ended the call and took a deep breath. So according to his dad, this could all be some sort of huge prophecy…or a total dud. Either way, it felt quite real. He could almost feel how evil the figure was in front of him. He could sense the fear in Serena and the others. He shouldn't be able to feel something like that in just an ordinary dream. Maybe a glass of water will do him some good.

Ash then took one look at his dozing partner and let out a smile. Everything was so peaceful right now. He should just leave things like that. He walked into Professor Oak's bathroom and took a paper cup from a small stack before filling it with water from the faucet. He took a few big sips before sighing. That really hit the spot right now.

Ash looked in the mirror and studied himself closely. He was trying to look to see if there was any trace of his aura showing right now. Normally, his eyes would be glowing blue if it was activated, but they were perfectly normal right now, as was the rest of his body. Ash then realized how ridiculous he was being and let out a light chuckle to himself. If his aura was showing up in his dreams, he wouldn't know it, would he? He couldn't control it yet so if it decided to show up again, it would.

As Ash made his way back into Professor Oak's lobby, he heard the backdoor open up, signaling that everyone had finished cleaning up. Sure enough, Professor Oak showed up in the room about ten seconds later followed by Serena, Brock, Misty, Leaf, and Daisy. Pikachu woke up upon hearing the slight commotion and gave a stretch before sitting up.

Serena immediately made her way over to Ash before greeting him with a hug. "Did you rest okay, Ash?" she asked him.

"Togeprriiii!" the spikeball Pokemon added shrilly by her side. As long as it wasn't left alone, Togepi no longer required to be held at all times.

Ash stared strangely at her. Her beautiful face had such a serene smile on it right now. It was such a sharp contrast to her contorted horrified expression he saw in his dream. It was almost as if it would impossible for Serena to make such a face judging from her expression right now. It looked so peaceful and gentle.

"Ash?" Serena asked, upon seeing his expression.

Serena's questioning tone caused the others to glance in his direction. Ash shook his head upon seeing he was drawing unneeded attention to himself. The last thing he wanted was to worry everyone over something that could possibly be completely bogus. Ash smiled at her.

"I rested just fine, Serena. Thanks for asking," he replied.

"Good. You had me worried for a second that something had happened," Serena sighed before letting go of the embrace and instead holding his hand.

"Hahahaha! You know me! Relaxation is my middle name!" Ash laughed as he gave a cheesy grin at her and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand.

"Hardly. You're always active when you aren't sleeping," Leaf rhetorically said with a roll of her eyes.

"Ha. Ha. Ha," Ash muttered sarcastically.

"Anyways, now that I have you all here, there is something I would like to ask of you all," Professor Oak started.

The group then gave Professor Oak their full attention. Upon seeing that they were listening, Professor Oak continued.

"You see. I need you to run a very important errand for me on Velencia Island in the Orange Archipelago," he said.

The group tilted their heads in curiosity. The exception was Ash, who looked thoughtful. If he recalled, this was the place where his Uncle Riley said he would be visiting for the next few months. It was something about this collector person. Did Professor Oak know anything about this, but then again, would it really matter if he did? It was then something occurred to him, but Serena beat him to it.

"Wait, Professor," Serena interjected. "Why do you need us to do it? Not to be nosy, but don't you usually have Daisy run errands for you?"

"Ah, yes. I would normally have my granddaughter do this for me," Professor Oak answered as he glanced at Daisy. "Unfortunately, she will be off on another errand in the Johto region and may be gone for a few months. I'm very eager for the errand in the Orange Archipelago to be completed so I simply can't wait that long. I would also ask my grandson, Gary, to do this, but he's…"

"I understand, Professor. We'll be happy to do this for you," Ash said.

"So what is this errand you were wanting us to do on Valencia Island?" Leaf asked this time.

"I need you all to go there so you can retrieve a mysterious pokeball from my friend, Professor Ivy, so I can study it," Professor Oak answered.

"Why can't you just have it transported to you, Professor?" Misty inquired.

"That isn't possible for some reason. Every time Professor Ivy tries to transport it to me, nothing happens," Professor Oak responded as he folded his arms and let a sigh.

"It won't transport?" Serena asked in confusion.

"No. She's already tried it multiple times," Professor Oak confirmed.

"So what is it that makes this pokeball so mysterious?" Ash wondered.

"Well, besides the fact that it can't be transported, it also won't open, and it's color is different from a normal pokeball. It's silver and gold in color," Professor Oak answered.

"So where did Professor Ivy get a pokeball like that?" Ash pressed further.

"I don't know, and she isn't sure where it came from either. She found it on the beach on Valencia Island," Professor Oak sighed.

"That's a really unusual place to find something as strange as a pokeball like that," Leaf commented.

"Indeed. That is why I would like to study it," Professor Oak said.

The group then thought about it for a moment. Professor Oak was sending them on an errand to Valencia Island to get a mysterious pokeball. If it was in the Orange Islands, that would no doubt equal beaches, as well. They hadn't been on a proper beach since Cinnabar Island, and even then, they didn't utilize it to the fullest.

"So the Orange Islands? What do you think, Pikachu?" Ash asked the yellow rodent on the ground next to him.

"Pika Pi!" it cheered. Like the others, it hadn't had a chance to fully enjoy the beach. Being an electric-type, however, it needed to be careful in the water.

Ash and Serena were thinking about how much fun they would have. They would play with their Pokemon in the water and do all sorts of beach games with them like volleyball. Not to mention, the beach could be a pretty romantic setting, but that was mostly on Serena's end. Leaf was thinking about all the different types of Pokemon she could find there and learn about how if different habitats affect the Pokemon. Brock was thinking about ways of studying the Pokemon there and learn if they require different needs to be taken care of. The pretty girls that would be in swimsuits was an added bonus.

Misty's thoughts, on the other hand, were diverging a little bit from the others. Sure, she could work on her tan, and her water Pokemon would have a blast. However, there was another reason she wanted to go. She suddenly remembered a dark red-haired teen that she had met quite a while back. Rudy, was his name? He was the first boy who had ever showed a true interest in her, and he was so charming! Misty remembered him saying that he and his sister lived on Trovita Island in the Orange Archipelago. She got his number, so maybe she could call over there to let him know she would be in the area? Wait. What if he didn't remember her? She would be so embarrassed!

"Misty, are you okay? Your face got really red all of the sudden," Ash commented from beside her.

"Ah! I-I-I'm fine Ash! I was just thinking of the great time I'll have in the Orange Islands!" Misty said hurriedly.

"Now hold on a minute. This isn't a field trip I'm sending you on. I don't want you all to forget what you're really going there for," Professor Oak said while waving his hands upon seeing where this was going.

"We know, Professor. Sorry about that. I guess we got carried away," Ash said apologetically.

"It's quite alright. Going to the Orange Islands is like vacation. I don't mind you having some fun while you're there. Just make sure to bring back the pokeball in one piece," Professor Oak stated.

"Of course. We promise, Professor," Serena confirmed.

"Hold on. How are we going to get to the Orange Islands? We don't have that kind of money," Misty suddenly spoke up.

"Hahaha! I would never send you all to do an errand for me without making sure you all are taken care of! I'm paying in full for your trip there and back!" Professor Oak laughed.

"Wow! Thank you so much, Professor!" Ash exclaimed.

"Of course! It's you all who are doing me the favor!" the Pokemon professor replied.

"We look forward to when you will have the pokeball back!" Daisy added.

"Sounds good! We won't let you down and promise to bring it here safe and sound!" Ash stated while he gave Professor Oak and Daisy his signature thumbs-up.

* * *

Ash flopped down on his bed as he let out a sigh. With as much as he was gone throughout his journey, it always felt nice to be back in his own bed. He didn't want to admit it, but the clean sheets and cleaning that Mimey had done earlier that morning really helped with the comfort. It was still a little annoying that Pikachu did that to him, but in the end, it worked out okay. Pikachu was on the floor with Togepi trying to teach it how to do a small puzzle while Brock was beside Ash on the floor in a sleeping bag, reading a book.

"Hey, Brocko. Whatcha reading?" Ash asked as he propped himself on his elbow and turned in Brock's direction.

"Just a book on some Pokemon breeding techniques," Brock answered simply.

"Really? I thought it would be a picture book of beautiful girls," Ash joked.

"Not so. It's true that I'm girl crazy, but I much prefer to see them in person. Besides, Pokemon breeding is actually my passion," Brock replied with a smile as he gave brief glance at Ash.

"Yeah, and you're really good at it," Ash added.

"You know, Suzy actually wrote this book," Brock stated before sighing. "It must be nice to have such a knowledge of Pokemon breeding to actually write your own book. It just proves that I'm miles behind where I should be to be the best Pokemon breeder."

"How long have you been learning of breeding techniques anyway, Brock?" Ash asked.

"Well, because I started off as a gym leader and always taking care of my siblings, I had very little time to focus on Pokemon breeding. I would sometimes go throughout the whole week without once experiencing different techniques with my Pokemon. It's not that resented caring for my younger brothers and sisters. I love them and would choose them every time. It's just that it really kept me from getting a head start as most people. It's only when I started traveling with you did I really start my breeding career," Brock explained.

"I for one think that you're an excellent Pokemon breeder, Brock. Even Suzy said so," Ash said.

"Thanks for saying that, but I'm nowhere near as good as I could be," Brock replied.

"So what do you plan on doing when you actually do become the world's best Pokemon breeder? Do you just stop?" Ash wondered.

"Hmmhmm. Just like a Pokemon master's journey, a Pokemon breeder's journey never ends. I would be constantly learning new things every day whether it be from someone else or my own experience," Brock chuckled lightly before putting on a more serious expression. "If there was only someplace where I could learn about Pokemon every day and live with a beautiful woman, it would be a paradise for me."

Togepi then lost interest in the puzzle it was doing and gave a yawn. Despite it being a while since hatching, sleep was still one thing it did a lot of. It then walked over to Brock and gave a happy chirp, causing Brock to smile down at it.

"Hey there, Togepi. Wanting a snack before you go to bed?" Brock asked warmly.

"Togepriiiiii!" it answered happily.

"No problem. Brock's got you taken care of," the tanned boy said as he reached into his backpack next to his sleeping back before withdrawing one of his specially made Pokemon food. He then handed a small portion to Togepi since it was just a snack. The spikeball Pokemon munched away at the snack before giving a contented sigh. It was about to fall asleep standing up but Brock reached out and gently caught Togepi before handing it to Ash who set it on the foot of his bed where it slept with Pikachu. It wasn't long before the yellow rodent joined it, aso.

"I think Togepi is a great example of how great a breeder you are, Brock," Ash told him. "Togepi doesn't warm up to just anyone. You, on the other hand, were able to win its trust really easily once it realized you were always with Serena and me. I think the term 'Uncle Brock' suits you quite well for Togepi."

"Hmm…maybe so," Brock mused as he thought about it. Togepi was terrified of him at first and always cried if it wasn't in Ash or Serena's hands. Now, it was coming to him!

"If anyone deserves the title of the world's best Pokemon breeder, it's you," Ash said seriously.

"Well, it's definitely a nice thought," Brock smiled as he turned back to Suzy's book.

Ash stared at the Pokemon Breeder for a moment. It looks like they were off to another journey again starting tomorrow. Granted, they may just be gone a few days, but it was still the opportunity to travel again. The fact that Brock was coming was a huge help. He was always the group's main meal provider and caretaker despite Serena starting to learn, too. It was then that Red's words rang in Ash's head…

 _"Don't just take Brock for granted. Learn from him."_

"Hey, Brock," Ash spoke up again, causing the breeder to turn from his book. "Thanks a lot, for everything."

"What do you mean?" Brock wondered as he gave Ash a curious look.

"I mean thanks for being there with me, Serena, and Misty on our journey. You did so much for us," Ash told him.

"It's no trouble, Ash. I enjoy it," Brock smiled before turning back to his book.

"No, Brock. Really. Thank you," Ash said sincerely causing Brock to look at him again. "If it wasn't for you, we would have been totally lost. You cooked for us, cleaned for us, shopped for us, discovered our Pokemon's tastes, and you always had a map handy before we got our Pokegears. Serena can only do the things she does now because you taught her. I don't how we would have made it on our journey if we never met you. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate all you have done for us so far."

Brock stared at Ash with a slight look of surprise. He did mean what he said about enjoying the chores, but he never really thought about if the others really appreciated him. Of course, he knew they thanked him for another delicious meal and for cleaning the dishes, but to hear it said like this from Ash was rather…touching. It always felt good to know that everyone really valued him.

"Thank you, Ash. It means a lot," Brock replied.

"Despite how much I don't want to admit it, I know you won't be with us forever. If you could pass on some of your techniques to me, that would be great," Ash said.

Brock seemed to think for a moment. He already had a pupil in the form of Serena. Maybe having two wouldn't be such a bad thing that he could manage. To know that the two were really wanting to learn to take care of themselves was the best thing that Brock could ask for from them.

"Of course, Ash. It would be my pleasure," Brock smiled.

"Great! Thanks, Brock!" Ash said with a thumbs up.

"Don't think that I'm going to go easy on you. The Brockster is really going to whip you in shape for these tasks," Brock stated as he rubbed his chin.

"I look forward to it!" Ash declared before giving a yawn. Talk about ruining the mood.

"Yeah. I guess we better go to bed so we don't oversleep. The boat to Valencia Island leaves at six in the evening tomorrow so we need to leave as soon as possible to make it in time since it's quite a walk," Brock stated as he put Suzy's book back in his backpack.

"Yeah. Good night, Brock. Good night, Pikachu. Good night, Togepi," Ash said as he switched off his lamp.

"Good night," Brock replied getting comfortable in the sleeping bag.

"Pika Pi," Pikachu muttered. Togepi was already asleep.

With that, everyone entered the dreamland.

* * *

Serena was brushing her hair in the bathroom as she prepared for bed. Her hair was out of the usual small ponytail style and held back by a pink headband with a bow on top, and she was in her pajamas. She was really excited for the coming trip to the Orange Islands. Not only would this be a great chance to have some time alone with Ash, but it may also help her decide what she really wanted to do with her life. The Orange Archipelago would be a strange place to find a career, but she did discover the Battle Chateau her first night of her Pokemon journey so who knows?

Serena hummed happily as she exited the bathroom which was adjacent to her bedroom. She entered it and already found Misty and Leaf in their pajamas, as well. Because everyone would be leaving to go to the Orange Archipelago first thing in the morning, it was more practical for Leaf and Misty to stay the night. Not to mention it was also just a good time for an all girl's sleepover. Serena hadn't had one of these since before she left Pallet Town a year ago.

"You seem happy," Leaf smiled as Serena sat down on her knees between her and Misty.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be? I'm going to be traveling to a new place I've never been to before," Serena said happily.

"I bet that's not all your thinking of," Misty said slyly.

"What about you?" Serena asked, completely unashamed of her romantic thoughts. "You sure were red earlier when we heard we were going to the Orange Islands. What's up?"

Now it was Misty's turn to blush completely red. She quickly turned away and put her hand behind her head causing Serena to smile triumphantly. She had effectively turned this conversation around and everyone knew it. Being so shy and crushing on Ash for as long as she could remember before they officially were going out, Serena was no stranger to the look Misty had on her face right now. It could only mean one thing.

"Is there some boy in the Orange Islands that you're looking forward to seeing?" Serena inquired in interest.

"Of course not!" Misty said firmly.

"Come on, Misty. I told you about my crush on Ash when we first met. Now it's your turn to tell me who you have a crush on. It isn't like Leaf or I would tell anyone," Serena told her, followed by a nod from Leaf.

"Okay. Maybe there is someone I met that does live in the Orange Islands," Misty mumbled so quietly that Leaf and Serena actually had to lean in to hear her despite being right beside her.

"I knew it!" Serena said brightly as she clapped her hands together. "Spill the beans! What's his name?!"

"Umm..well…it's not important," Misty murmured as she scratched her cheek. "He probably doesn't even remember me."

"I guess we'll just have to tell Ash and Brock that Misty has a crush on someone," Serena shrugged.

"Okay! Okay! His name is Rudy!" Misty said frantically.

"Rudy? Where did you meet him? That name doesn't ring a bell of anyone we met on our journey," Serena said as she gave a puzzled look at Misty.

"That's the thing. I've only met him once. It was during the Fuchsia Festival," Misty admitted as she turned away again.

"Yeah. I remember that. It was when Ash and I had our first real date," Serena recalled dreamily as she thought back.

They had visited the zoo, learned breeding techniques from Suzy, and had a wonderful time dancing together. It had been such fun. Serena recalled Brock was talking to Suzy throughout most of the festival so she was curious about what Misty had been doing the whole time. Now it looked like she finally knew. It made her happy that Misty hadn't been alone the whole festival.

"I had a lot of fun with Rudy, and he even had a cute little sister named Mahri. He was one of the first boys that treated me like a real lady rather than tomboy like most people. He even kissed my hand and told me I was graceful. He was such a gentleman to me. Before he left, he told me that he lived on Trovita Island in the Orange Islands and that if I were ever in the area to let him know," Misty explained.

"That sounds like a great time," Leaf smiled.

"It was, but that was months ago so I doubt he really remembers me," Misty sighed.

"Misty, I think that if Rudy made that much of an impact on you, you made just as big of one on him. I don't think he's forgotten you," Leaf assured.

"It's a nice thought," Misty said as she wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees.

"Well, Misty. You have our support. If we're ever near Trovita Island in the Orange Islands, we'll be sure to make a stop there just for you so you can see him!" Serena told her.

"You don't have to do that just so I can see some guy who might be interested in me," Misty muttered.

She didn't know what was wrong with her. When she first heard the prospect of going to the Orange Islands, she was beside herself with joy. Now that Serena knew and was offering to help her see Rudy again, she was backing out. Why? Misty was surprised when she felt Serena gently lay her hand down on her own. Misty looked up inquisitively at Serena to find a warm smile on her face.

"You're our friend and part of our group, too, Misty. You always have been ever since you joined us in Viridian City. You get a say on what we do, too. If you really want to go to Trovita Island to see Rudy, we'll understand. There's no point in not going and being in mystery of if he remembers you or not," Serena said gently.

"What if he doesn't remember?" Misty grimaced.

"Then I'll make him remember by smacking some sense into him," Serena joked and made an uppercut in the air, causing Misty and Leaf to giggle.

Misty really did appreciate Serena's words. She had always been worried that she had sometimes gotten in the way of the group and was only a third wheel. She never really did anything in the past year despite wanting to prove herself to her sisters. If she really wanted to impress them, she needed to step up her game once they got to what would probably be a water Pokemon paradise. Not to mention, Rudy was there, too. To hear that Serena called her a friend and part of the group really warmed her heart. Yes. With this confidence, she would really try to make her name as the world's greatest water Pokemon trainer.

"Thanks a lot, Serena. That really means a lot to me," Misty said sincerely.

"Of course, Misty. Leaf and I are here if you ever want to have some girl talk," Serena told her before giving a yawn.

On that note, the three girls took it as a sign that they should go to sleep. It was almost midnight anyway. They had stayed up late just chatting about whatever, and then the conversation with Misty had happened. Serena set her alarm clock for seven in the morning before turning off her lamp and climbing into a sleeping back between Leaf and Misty. It was a lot more fun to sleep on the floor than in her own bed when she had friends over.

"Good night," she murmured before closing her eyes to go into dreamland.

"Good night," the two other girls muttered sleepily before joining their friend in sleep.

As Serena drifted further and further into sleep, her thoughts began to wander…

XXX

 _Serena was happily styling her hair as she sat in front of a mirror. With the type of room she was in, she felt like she was some sort of star about to give a concert. She had her honey-colored hair in a large ponytail tied with a large pink ribbon, not too unlike what she wore in the Battle Chateau. She had small traces of glitter in her hair, too._

 _As Serena stood up from her chair, she looked herself over in the mirror and smiled at what she saw. She was in a mostly red dress with a black line across the bottom which opened up into pink. She wore black pantyhose with a pair of red flats. To complete the look, Serena wore white gloves. Serena couldn't wait to show Ash how she looked. While the Battle Chateau gave her more of a cute, elegant look, what she was doing now had more of a stylish feel to it._

 _Serena then looked down at her Jigglypuff and Gloom. They were going to be the stars of the show she was about to perform. Her Jigglypuff was going to give the best Pokemon concert while Gloom was going dance gracefully like no Pokemon before it. It was going to be a huge hit. She could feel it. Serena then nodded to the two Pokemon and they headed out the door together._

 _Once she exited the room, Serena saw Ash waiting for her. He didn't say anything. He just pulled the cap down over his eyes and blushed which caused Serena to blush herself. She thought Ash looked so cute when he was turning red like that. The couple then entwined their hands as they headed to the stage. Serena wasn't quite sure how Ash managed to get backstage undetected, but it didn't matter. He could support her from the sidelines. The closer Ash was, the better._

 _As Ash and Serena got closer to the stage, she passed by many of her friends. Leaf was first as she gave Serena a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before clapping. Brock was next as Serena stopped to give him a quick hug which he returned before continuing. Next was Misty who gave Serena wink and a smile. Grace, Serena's mother, was there, too. The woman had tears of joy in her eyes as her daughter was about to perform. Finally, the rest of Serena's Pokemon were cheering her on in two lines as she passed between them. At last, Serena reached the stage._

" _Thank you for your patience everyone. We now have our debut of the rising starlet, Serena Gabena!" a man in a French accent announced as he swung his hand in a presenting manner, giving Serena her cue to enter._

 _Serena let go of Ash's hand before walking onto the stage with Gloom and Jigglypuff beside her. Once she made it to the edge of the stage, she saw it was an outside performance. Weird, she could've sworn they were all indoors. Well, it doesn't matter. The man with the French accent handed Serena a microphone, and Serena took it before handing it to Jigglypuff._

 _The pink puffball smiled happily that this would be its first concert in front of so many people. It probably wouldn't even put them to sleep this time! Jigglypuff then took a deep breath as it prepared to sing but stopped as it saw the audience's attention was directed elsewhere._

 _Serena followed their gazes and saw ominous dark clouds approaching. How could it have gone from such beautiful weather to dark in such an instant? Serena looked down at her Pokemon and saw Gloom looked rather scared while Jigglypuff was puffing up its cheeks in anger at having its moment ruined by the dark clouds._

 _As Serena stared at the clouds, she didn't know why, but there was growing sense of dread in her. Sure, they looked frightening to begin with, but should she really be as scared as she was now? It felt like something was off about her behavior, but even she didn't know what it was. It was like something was haunting her. It was like something that had been pushed into the back of her mind only to resurface as the scariest thing she could imagine._

 _That's when the booming laughter sounded throughout the performance hall. A figure appeared in front of Serena, continuing the echoed laughter. Whatever this thing was, it was clearly insane, but that didn't make it any less horrifying. Before Serena knew it, she had fallen on her hands and knees and was covering her head with her hands and screaming at the top of her lungs. What was wrong with her?!_

 _It wasn't long before all of her Pokemon surrounded her, growling at the figure as they prepared to attack whatever that was. It was hard to tell because it was cloaked in shadow. Serena, meanwhile, felt like her head was about to explode. There was so much pressure there at the moment. It was like she was absorbing too much information and was unable to contain it. Either that, or one giant piece too big for her to handle. Was that figure causing this?_

 _Serena felt a small rush of air by her. That was when she stopped feeling the pain and saw Ash tearing across the stage with Pikachu beside him. It was then Serena was pulled to her feet by Leaf as her other friends surrounded her. Despite how terrified Serena was of the thing before her, she knew it was going to be okay with Ash taking care of it. He was her hero. He would make this thing go away._

 _That was until the figure abruptly reached out and grabbed Ash by his throat. It had stopped laughing and had now put on the most menacing expression a being could muster. It then kicked Pikachu away like it was some small toy before a burst of blue energy erupted from it, hitting every Pokemon and human in the room except for Serena. The girl looked around, horror struck as all of her friends and Pokemon lay around her, unconscious or worse._

 _Serena began to have that terror in her eyes again as she turned back towards the figure and saw it was literally choking Ash to death. Its large hand was crushing Ash's windpipe as he struggled to break free. Why was she unable to do anything? She was too scared to move! She could save Ash! All she had to do was make her feet work, but they were frozen on the spot!_

 _Ash's struggles were becoming weaker and weaker before they finally became limp by his side. Serena's eyes widened as she screamed her loudest yet that Ash had just been ruthlessly murdered by this figure, and the worst part was, Serena had been unable to do anything. Why was she so scared of this thing and unable to attack it? Nothing added up! Tears burned Serena's eyes as she began to cry openly about how anything could be this cruel._

 _The figure then tossed Ash's lifeless body aside like some ragdoll before looking at Serena dead in the eye. Serena instantly felt her fears multiplied by a thousand and then…sudden calmness? What? How on Earth was she feeling calm at a time like this?! The burly figure then spoke for the first time since arriving on the scene._

" _The world...is dying," the figure said, almost softly._

 _XXX_

Serena's eyes snapped open once the dream ended. She quickly sat up and glanced wildly around for any sign of the evil figure, but all she saw was darkness. Serena breathed a sigh of relief at the horrible nightmare she had. The truth was she was surprised she didn't wake up screaming, but that probably would have startled Leaf and Misty. Seeing all of her Pokemon, friends, and Ash killed around her was terrifying indeed.

Another really strange thing was how scared Serena was. What was it about that figure that made her so afraid? She didn't think she had more terrified of anything in her entire life. The weirdest part of all, however, was not that, or even when everyone around her was killed. It was the sudden calmness she felt when the crazy being had looked at her when the madness had stopped. How could she be feeling calm at a time like that? Furthermore, what did that mean when it said the world was dying? It was all so unsettling.

The dream left so many questions. In the end, however, was it really just a bad dream that had no meaning? Should she tell Leaf, Misty, or Ash about it? Would that cause them to worry? What was she even doing in the dream? It sort of reminded her of what she had read about Pokemon performing? Still, Who was the evil being? All this was swimming through her head as she laid her head back down on her pillow. Serena had felt so peaceful as she was about to go to sleep earlier so why had she had a dream like that now of all times?

Serena ultimately decided not to dwell on it too much for the moment. If she continued thinking about it, she knew she would be up all night. Then she wouldn't be fully rested for the trip tomorrow to the Orange Islands. Maybe a vacation…err…errand like that would take her mind off of the nightmare she just had. It was then Serena began thinking wonderful thoughts about how much fun she would have while she was in the Orange Archipelago. It would just be her, her Pokemon, and her friends.

It was these peaceful thoughts that finally allowed Serena to drift off into sleep once more. She had wonderful dreams for the rest of the night. Little did she know, however, was that Ash had a similar dream earlier that day.

* * *

The weather was perfect the next day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky which made it excellent for traveling. The group was really hoping the weather would stay like this their entire time in the Orange Archipelago. Then again, Professor Oak needed to keep reminding them why they were going there in the first place. He, along with Delia, Rose, Grace, and Daisy all stood in front of the group to see them off on their new destination.

"Now remember. I want you kids to have fun on this trip. Just try not to lose focus of why you are there in the first place. From what Professor Ivy has told me, this pokeball could be very important so it needs to be delivered to my hands as soon as you are able to," Professor Oak told them.

"No problem, Professor! I promise you that will be the first stop we make in the Orange Islands!" Ash smiled with a thumbs up.

"Good. If you decide to visit anywhere else, just let me know when I can expect you back," Professor Oak nodded.

"Remember, Ash. Don't forget to…," Delia began, but was cut off by Ash.

"Don't worry, Mom. I won't forget. I promise," Ash said, knowing exactly what she was about to say.

"He's got the Brockster with him, Mrs. Ketchum. I'll take care of him," Brock reassured, causing Ash to blush in embarrassment. Brock wasn't wearing his sleeveless vest anymore and put it in his backpack. With the Orange Islands having a warmer climate than Kanto, Brock needed to be more comfortable. Besides, all the girls would see, according to him, his well-toned muscles. He tried to convince Ash to go the same route but was unsuccessful. Ash told Brock he was okay in his current new clothes.

"I remember going to the Orange Islands almost twenty years ago with Red and Blue. There were a lot more islands than I thought there would be. There were also stores that sold things like no other. They really are unique," Rose said thoughtfully.

"I'll make sure to bring you back a souvenir, Mom," Leaf told her mother. Like Ash and Serena, Leaf had opted to change her clothes for the Orange Islands, but it was to something more tropical to fit the mood. She was now wearing a white sundress with a few flower designs on it. She wore a pair of white flip-flops on her feet and a yellow sunhat on her head.

"Also, Leaf. Make sure to get good use out of that Super Fishing Rod I gave you. It should help you catch some really great water Pokemon in those Islands," Rose winked.

Leaf smiled and graciously nodded her head. Rose had recently purchased the expensive Super Fishing Rod for Leaf when she realized her daughter was really serious about filling up the pokedex. This amazing rod would allow her to catch some of the best water Pokemon around, and in a place like the Orange Islands, she may even catch something of a different color or pattern. Leaf couldn't contain her joy when she received it.

"Hey, Leaf. I hate to ask, but you wouldn't mind if I used it occasionally, would you?" Misty asked hopefully. Trying to be a water Pokemon master, Misty owned several fishing rods, but had never been able to afford the Super Fishing Rod. Sure, her sisters could afford it seeing that they were famous, but Misty doubted they would actually send her money just so she could buy what was in their eyes "just some old rod."

"Not at all," Leaf smiled.

Misty cheered silently. She had always wanted one of those things. Like the others, Misty had changed her clothes to a short, bright yellow, sleeveless jacket which opened up into a red shirt. She had on bright yellow shorts which matched her jacket. She wore orange tennis shoes. Lastly, Misty no longer had her hair in a side ponytail and preferred to let it down to where it reached right at her shoulders. She said her reasoning was so she could feel the ocean breeze flow in her hair better.

"Stay safe, Serena. Don't get into any sort of trouble," Grace told her daughter.

"I won't, Mom. I have Ash and the others with me," Serena assured. Despite having a nightmare the first part of the night, Serena wasn't tired as the rest was peaceful. She still hadn't decided to tell the others yet. If the opportunity ever presented itself, she might. For now, however, it was best not to worry about it…too much.

"Yes. You do. I'm so glad you made such great friends since we moved her," Grace sighed in contentment as she placed her hand over her heart.

It was the truth, too. Serena had been quite upset about leaving Vaniville Town at first. When they got to Pallet Town, Serena was so shy and quiet, Grace was starting to wonder what she should've done. Granted, it was a very good reason they moved, but she still didn't want her daughter to be miserable. Then, she met Ash, and the rest soon followed. Now, Grace couldn't be happier for her daughter and was content with the way things were now.

"The Orange Archipelago is my favorite place to go when I'm running errands for my grandpa. You all will really enjoy it," Daisy said with a smile.

"Thanks! We promise we'll have it back safe and sound!" Ash said with another thumbs up.

"In that case, you all take care. Call me once you get there so we know you made it there safely," Professor Oak told them as he waved.

"We will. Professor. Goodbye, everyone," Ash waved as he and the others turned around to leave.

"Make sure to tell Riley 'Hi' if you run into him," Delia called out.

"I will, Mom!" Ash replied, even though he seriously doubted he would. If Riley was in some top secret investigation, he would probably remain hidden. His Uncle Riley probably didn't tell his mom he was doing something potentially dangerous after just recovering from an incident with Team Rocket. He may have just said he was going there for a break like when he was on Cinnabar Island.

The group continued to wave until they could no longer see the adults. They then slowly put their hands down before fully turning around and starting on their way. This time, it wasn't for a journey across Kanto. They had new friends with them which made the trip even better. They couldn't wait to discover what the Orange Islands had in store for them. It might be a slight detour from the intense training and studying they promised themselves, but this couldn't hurt.

The priority, however, was the strange pokeball. They had no idea what kind of secrets it may hold, but from what Professor Oak described, it was definitely mysterious. A pokeball that couldn't transfer or be opened with a strange color scheme. That alone piqued the group's interest. Whatever was to come in the Orange Islands and the pokeball, the group knew that it would be a great experience. A new adventure was beginning for them all.

* * *

 **And that wraps up this chapter. I couldn't let it go by without Serena at least having a taste of the dream, too. It apparently has a different meaning for both her and Ash, but what? More hints and foreshadowing in the future will make everything clear.**

 **Well, the next chapter is pretty obvious what it's about judging by the title, but it's going to play out...very differently. I think you all will like it.**

 **Last thing, I think I may have found a good updating schedule in case you guys were wondering. I will try to update on the 5th and the 20th of every month, which is 15-16 days between chapters, giving me time to write them. The only exception will be is if one of those days falls on a Friday where I will be unable to update. In that case, it would be updated Saturday morning instead.**

 **See you all on June 5th! Have an awesome rest of May!**

 **Chapter 3: The Natures of Pidgeotto and Fearow**

 **Answering the Questions: (Spoilers)**

 _Does Ash's Wartortle still have his old sunglasses?_

 ** _You'll see them soon._**

 _Does Ash's dream, and Riley's mission coinside with the power of 1 movie? seems like it might._

 ** _Only half of that is right._**

 _Will Leaf join Ash, Serena, and the others when they set of for the Orange Islands?_

 ** _She'll be with them about halfway through before she leaves to travel alone and then return in Pummelo Stadium._**

 _I don't know if you will include the Pokemon version of West Side Story, with a Mary and Tony Nidorans, do will you?_

 _ **No. That episode won't be here.**_

 _Will Ash and Serena have their first fight as a couple in the arc or will you have them final go on another date, but official, as a couple?_

 _ **I haven't planned for them to have a fight in this arc, but a minor skirmish may happen. I only have a single big one actually planned in the series. And yes, they will have another date in this arc.**_

 _Is Brock later going to decide to be a pokemon doctor, or is he going to stick with being a breeder?_

 ** _A Pokemon doctor. It will be earlier than in the anime._**

 _So they will be in the Orange Islands soon?_

 ** _They arrive in chapter 4._**

 _What will be the fate of pidgeotto?_

 ** _Next chapter will reveal it._**

 _Is the presence Ash felt that of Riley or his Lucario?_

 ** _Lucario. Ash is aware of its presence now but doesn't know what it is yet._**

 _Will Ash have any rivals in this arc?_

 ** _No, but he will have some in Johto to make up for it._**

 _When you write The Power Of One, will you have Melody give Ash her signature Traditional Welcome Kiss?_

 ** _Yes._**

 _Are you planning to give Mega Evolutions in this arc?_

 ** _Mega Evolution won't be introduced until Sinnoh. It will be mentioned in Hoenn._**

 _What will Serena do in The Orange Islands, now that she conquered the Battle Chateau?_

 ** _Well...you'll see. It will be more than one thing._**

 _How long will Brock be in the orange island chapters till he leaves?_

 ** _Chapter 5_**

 _Will Ash and Serena get new Pokemon?_

 ** _Yes. Ash will get two. Serena will get two. Misty will get one. Tracey will get one. Honestly, only the Pokemon Serena gets are surprises, especially the 2nd own she gets. None of you will see it coming._**

 _Are the gym battles going to be modified at all?_

 ** _Yes. I have changed them. I'm especially pleased with the final two._**

 _Is Pidgeotto is still evolving before the journey officially begins right?_

 ** _Yeah._**

 _Is the dream foreshadowing something in the Sinnoh Arc since May and Dawn were there?_

 ** _It is AT LEAST as late as the Sinnoh arc._**

 _Are you doing the "Power of One" movie?  
_

 ** _If the first chapter was any indication of a hint, yes I am._**


	3. The Natures of Pidgeotto and Fearow

**A/N: Well, as I said, (for those of you who actually read my author's note at the end of chapter 2) the 5th happened to fall on a Friday when I am unable to update. Here it is the following morning as promised, though. Please enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 3: The Natures of Pidgeotto and Fearow

It had been a few hours since the group had left Pallet Town, and quite frankly, it had been rather uneventful. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though. It meant that the group could take it easy and talk amongst the other. Actually, every time something wasn't uneventful for the group, it meant they were in trouble over half the time.

It had just reached noon with the sun being its highest in the sky. Right at noon, that always meant one thing for the group. It happened to be one of Ash's favorite times of the day: lunch.

Ash's stomach rumbled loudly as he sweat dropped and chuckled in embarrassment. Upon hearing the noise, Brock merely smiled before stopping and setting down his backpack. No words needed to be spoken. Being with the raven-haired boy the past year, Brock had learned that Ash's stomach was like clockwork. It growled at around the same time every day for lunch and supper. That was a sure fire sign the group had been traveling long enough for a while and could take a break to eat.

"Alright, Mr. Pokemon Master. It's your turn to pick what we eat for lunch. What did you have in mind?" Brock asked with a smile while kneeling down to open his backpack.

"Hmmm…maybe stew?" Ash guessed.

"How did I not see that one coming?" Brock asked rhetorically with a grin.

"Well, it's my favorite! What can I say?" Ash shrugged.

"So is it the usual duties today, Brock?" Misty wondered.

"Yeah. Ash and Serena can gather the firewood and you can set up the utensils while I prepare everything. Leaf can help Misty," Brock stated.

Ash watched Brock in curiosity as he prepared to get out all of the necessary ingredients for his best stew. Ash really hoped to learn how to do this one day, and that's when he felt a little silly. If he wanted to learn how to make the stew, what was stopping him now? His dad's words of not taking Brock for granted and learning from him rang in Ash's ears. The raven-haired boy wanted to show Brock that he was willing to learn and not just take him for granted.

"Hey, Brock. Would you mind if I helped you cook the stew?" Ash asked a little timidly.

The four other humans turned to look at Ash in amazement. Ash was actually volunteering to help cook this time?! That was something new!

"Well…I mean…you do a lot for us, Brock. I'm sure it would be nice if you could take a break sometimes and let one of us cook. It might as well start now," Ash said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head.

Brock smiled at Ash's words. It seemed Ash really was serious about taking his career as a Pokemon trainer seriously, after all. Part of being a great trainer means not only taking care of your Pokemon, but yourself, as well. Learning to cook was one of the most basic things one could learn. There was no better teacher than Brock! He taught Serena, and he could teach Ash, too!

"Sure, buddy. Come on over here," Brock gestured as he motioned Ash over.

"I'll go with Serena to collect firewood so she doesn't have to do it by herself," Leaf spoke up.

"Thanks, Leaf, but what about your dress? Aren't you worried of tearing it?" Serena asked as they walked off together.

"You aren't dressed too much better in your skirt," Leaf countered with a giggle.

"Heehee! I guess you're right," Serena agreed.

Pikachu would normally go with Ash and Serena to get firewood, but it decided to stay behind just this once. It had to see this. Seeing Ash try to cook would be almost too good of an opportunity to pass up. Ash saw the look on Pikachu's face and narrowed his eyes at it. The look Ash had was clearly telling Pikachu that he was daring it to laugh. Pikachu held up its right paw as a symbol of honor to show Ash that it wouldn't laugh…as long as he didn't mess up. Then it would be hilarious.

Ash knelt down next to Brock and saw that he already had a variety of vegetables out for the stew. There were also several different ingredients like salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and vegetable oil. The amount of contents almost made Ash's head spin. Was this really the right dish to try to start off with in learning to cook? Maybe he should try to stick to something simpler…like toast.

"Come on, Ash. You aren't intimidated, are you? Remember, I'll be helping you and walking you through it," Brock reminded.

"You've got this, Ash," Misty added as she finished pulling out the last set of utensils which happened to be a big pot. Togepi had helped her out with the smaller things, but Pikachu had to quickly pull it away when it took out a large steak knife.

"Thanks. So what do we do first?" Ash inquired.

"We'll start by cutting up the vegetables," Brock stated as he took a knife and began to effortlessly and flawlessly chopping up a carrot.

"Woah," Ash muttered as he took his own knife and looked at his tomato uncertainly.

"It comes with practice," Brock said matter-of-factly as he sliced up another vegetable in seconds.

Ash slowly brought the knife down and began to cut into the red tomato slowly. He was probably making this a little harder than it needed to be. The first chunk came off rather uneven but it was still very usable. He then cut another uneven slice, and by the time we was done. There were slices of tomato in all shapes and sizes.

"Don't worry, Ash. We'll work on it. It's not like it will affect the taste any," Brock reassured as he added some of the vegetables to the pot.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said as he cut up an onion rather neatly before showing it off to Ash and smirking.

"Yeah. Yeah. You're just gifted in the art of vegetable cutting," Ash grumbled. He sometimes thought his partner was just plain evil.

It had been rather rough for Ash, but he was almost doing an okay job by the time the stew was ready. Brock was with him every step of the way. He was rather proud of Ash for wanting to try out this cooking business. Admittedly, it didn't look the best, but Brock was sure it would taste just the same.

"Alright. Stew's up! Who wants to try it first?" Brock called out.

"Ash should. He's the one who made it," Misty smiled before mumbling, "It would also let the rest of us know that it's safe to eat."

"Haha! Very funny, Misty!" Ash laughed sarcastically.

In reality, though, Ash was rather curious. If he really wanted to learn how to cook, it would need to come with errors, too. He would always have to taste the food he made to make sure it was okay. If he didn't, everyone would just be going in not knowing what to expect, and if it was bad, it wouldn't end well.

Ash took a small spoon from the side and dipped it into the large pot over the fire. He brought up a rather large spoonful to make sure he got the full flavor. It looked okay at the very least, but how was the taste. Brock was with him to at least make sure the right ingredients were added, but did Ash put in too much or too little of some ingredients? Brock commented he might have added too much salt, but Ash would soon find out. He brought the spoon to his mouth and tasted it.

Everyone waited in anticipation to see what Ash's reaction would be. Ash immediately could tell it tasted good but wanted to leave his friends in suspense so he put on the most neutral look he could before swallowing. He looked at everyone staring at him eagerly before finally delivering his verdict.

"It tastes just like how Brock is supposed to make his stew! The texture is a little different because of the way I chopped some vegetables, but it's fine!" Ash concluded.

"That sounds good enough to me! I'll try it next Ash!" Leaf spoke up as she got a bowl and retrieved the ladle before putting a decent portion into her bowl. Leaf kind of felt bad for letting Ash be the guinea pig for his own food as it almost made it seem like she didn't trust him. She would make it up to him by being the next one to try the stew, though.

Serena was next as she scooped some of the stew into her own bowl. Like Leaf, she felt a little bad. Ash was wanting to really improve himself. Sure, Serena supported him no matter what he did, but cooking something rather advanced like stew for your first try was a little extreme, even if an expert was helping you. She still remembered her first lesson with Brock and how it had been a little rough. Now that she had that cookbook from Brock, she knew how to make a variety of things. She was sure Ash would get there eventually, too.

Despite how hungry he was, Ash decided it would be the polite thing to let everyone go ahead of himself. Normally, Brock would wait for everyone, but Ash insisted that he go last this time. Once everyone had their bowls of stew, they released all their Pokemon so they could eat their lunch, too.

"I've got to hand it to you, Ash. This stew could be a lot worse," Misty commented as she took another bite.

"I personally like it a lot," Serena said with a bit of indignation.

"Me, too!" Leaf chimed in.

"Wait! I didn't mean it like that! It was a compliment!" Misty quickly defended.

"Thanks, Misty. I know what you meant," Ash smiled.

He was really glad it had turned out okay. Even Pikachu wasn't laughing at Ash. It was sitting next to its trainer and was happily munching on its food with a dab of ketchup on it. Pikachu loved to tease Ash, but it really was happy that its trainer's food turned out good rather than bad.

"Togeprriiii!" Togepi chirped as it walked up to Ash and held out its tiny hands.

"Sure I can let you have some, Togepi," Ash smiled as he took a very tiny portion from his own bowl and fed it too the baby Pokemon.

"Ash, don't spoil Togepi's appetite by feeding it something like this. It isn't good for it," Serena scolded slightly.

"I'm sure a little won't hurt. I can spoil it a little bit," Ash grinned at Serena before winking at Togepi, causing it to giggle happily.

Ash's relationship with Togepi had definitely improved since it hatched. He was spending a lot more time with it and interacting with it almost like a real father. It made Serena really happy as she watched. Serena certainly didn't want to assume anything, but she believed that ever since Ash had been able to forgive Red and truly accept him as a good father, he had been able to extend fatherly qualities to others like Togepi. The way Ash played with Togepi and loved it showed that he would make a good husband and father one day. That's what Serena wanted. She then blushed happily at the thought.

By the time the group was done with their lunch, the huge pot of stew had been emptied completely. Well, that was mostly because Ash had three helpings as usual, but he made sure that everyone else had their fill first. He was glad it had turned out rather good. The stew wasn't perfect, but Ash could only improve from here out. As Brock prepared to go wash out the dishes at a nearby lake, Ash jumped in.

"Don't worry about it, Brock. I've got it this time," Ash said.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm to do the chores, Ash, but don't overdo it the first time. If I don't clean at least something, it will drive me crazy," Brock smiled.

"In that case, I'll leave all supper duties for you, tonight!" Ash offered.

Brock stared at Ash. He admired the boy's resolve to handle everything, but Ash was starting everything off rather fast. He needed to start off slowly like Serena did so he doesn't get overwhelmed. Still, letting him clean off the dishes wouldn't hurt this time.

"Alright, Ash. Go ahead. We'll be packing up while you're gone," Brock nodded.

"I'll go with you to keep you company," Serena volunteered.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu added before taking Togepi by the hand and leading over.

"Alright. See you in a bit. The lake is in that thicket. We'll expect you back in about fifteen minutes," Brock said as he pointed to a small section of trees about a fourth mile to the group's right.

"Got it," Ash replied as he set off with Serena, Pikachu, and Togepi. He held the dishes while Serena had the soap and rag.

As the four made their way over to the thicket of trees, Ash couldn't help but feel this particular part felt rather familiar to him. It was a little strange, though. It was just a thicket of trees. He knew he never visited that part in the past when the group traveled through here.

"Hey, Ash. What's wrong?" Serena asked him as she saw him staring oddly at the thicket of trees.

"Oh. Nothing," Ash replied as he shook his head before changing the subject. "So did you really like the stew I half-cooked?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Serena asked him.

"Heh. Nothing," Ash smirked as the four of them passed through trees.

It was a little weird. As soon as the group entered the patch of the forest, it had gotten deadly quiet. They didn't see any Caterpie or Weedle crawling, no Pidgey chirping, or anything. Surely there would be wild Pokemon in here somewhere. Ash saw a crystal clear lake in the opening just like Brock had said, but even that looked oddly calm, like nothing lived in it.

"It's a little quiet," Serena said, voicing Ash's thoughts.

"Mmhmm," Ash agreed as he went over to the lake with the dishes. Serena handed Ash the rag and soap before she, Pikachu, and Togepi stayed behind.

He then knelt down and set the pile of dishes beside him. He then took a bowl before squirting a small dab of soap in it before splashing some water in it and scrubbing it. As Ash was washing the bowl, he thought he heard a small flicker of movement in one of the trees. His head snapped up in the direction, and he glanced wildly around but saw nothing.

Serena, Pikachu, and Togepi must have heard it, too. Serena gave a nervous glance at the trees while Pikachu narrowed its eyes and stood in front of Togepi. Even the spikeball Pokemon appeared to think something was amiss as it didn't have its usual cheerful expression.

"Hey, Ash. I don't want to rush you, but try not to take too long here," Serena told him, trying to keep a neutral voice, but Ash could still tell there was unease.

"Yeah," Ash agreed as he finished the first bowl. Now he just had four more bowls, a pot, and some utensils. Then they could get out of here. Ash once again felt the feeling of familiarity with the place despite never being in here before.

He finished the next three bowls without incident, but the strange silence never went away. It was then Ash heard a small flap of wings when he got to the pot. Ash stood up at this and instantly put his right hand to one of his pokeballs. Okay. They were definitely being watched by something. Actually, it was probably more than one thing that was watching them.

Ash glared as he stared in the direction of the noise. If this was any casual wild Pokemon watching them, it wouldn't be trying so hard to stay hidden. Ash and Serena both could since the malice now. Pikachu sparked its cheeks while Serena picked up Togepi and put it in her backpack for safekeeping.

"Alright. Let's just go," Ash said as he picked up the utensils. They could finish washing them somewhere else.

He had no more then taken two steps when an angry screech sounded from one of the trees. The group whipped their heads in that direction as a Fearow shot out of the trees at breakneck speed. It had a wild look in its eyes as it held its talons in front of it heading straight for Ash. It was obviously intending to run Ash through with them.

"Woah!" Ash cried as he ducked just in time. The Fearow soared just inches above his back before going upward back to the sky.

Ash stood up again as he watched the Fearow circle back around before coming in for another try to get Ash. It was almost like this Pokemon had a personal grudge against him as it wasn't going after anyone but him. This was no mere wild Pokemon attack.

"Why are you attacking me?! What did I ever do to you?!" Ash yelled.

The Fearow only gave another angry screech before speeding up with its beak pointed straight in Ash's direction. The raven-haired boy actually had to jump out of the way this time. Fearow wasn't about to let him go that easily, thought. It outstretched one his large wings and slapped Ash to the ground.

Ash landed with a resounding thud on his back, nearly knocking the wind out of him. He then watched as a pair of talons landed in front of him. The Fearow stared menacingly at Ash before it lifted its up, preparing to peck Ash to death. It didn't get far, however.

"Pikaaaachuuuuuu!" Pikachu screamed as it leaped in front of Ash and shocked the Fearow with a powerful Thunderbolt.

The Fearow cawed in pain before it was blasted with a Flamethrower from behind. Ash leaned over from his position on the ground and saw Serena had Charla out. It then flew over to Ash before landing next to Pikachu, effectively blocking Fearow from getting to Ash. Despite the attacks hurting it a lot, Fearow stood its ground and narrowed it eyes at the two Pokemon. In response, Pikachu and Charla both narrowed their eyes at the Fearow, almost like they recognized it.

"What's going on? Have you guys seen this Fearow before?" Serena wondered in confusion.

"Pika," Pikachu swiftly nodded. Charla also nodded its head in agreement.

"I don't get it. We've never….wait!" Ash suddenly said as he recalled a memory a while back.

Ash remembered it was the first day of his and Serena's journey. He was stupidly trying to catch a Pidgey by only using a blanket because Pikachu would rather watch its trainer embarrass himself. He had been thrown backwards by Pidgey's Gust attack, only to drop his blanket on a nearby Spearow. It didn't seem to like that too much and attacked Ash and Pikachu. They shocked it, and then it called upon its gang, and they chased Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Charla for a long ways. Ash was then almost killed as the group was preparing to run Ash through. Thankfully, Pikachu had saved the day when it got a supercharge from a lightning bolt, able shock all of the Spearow into unconsciousness.

"It can't be! Is this the Spearow that attacked us on the first day of our journey?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Chuuu!" Pikachu affirmed as it nodded its head again.

Fearow also cawed angrily as it seemed to confirm Ash's question, too.

"It's evolved since then," Ash mused.

It was then it hit Ash. That was why this patch of trees seemed so familiar to him! This was the same patch of trees that Ash and Serena were near when he was trying to catch Pidgey. A massive flock of Spearow had come out of these trees and flown after the group when this Spearow called them. Wait. If this was the group of trees where a bunch of Spearow lived, then…

Fearow must have known it didn't stand a chance against Charla and Pikachu alone. It leaned its head back before letting out an earsplitting screech into the sky. It was then the group heard more rustling. Ash and Serena's eyes widened as what seemed like a hundred Spearow come out of the trees from every direction. They flew out into the clearing and surrounded the group, blocking any way for escape. Fearow then turned back to its opponents before glaring again. Apparently, this grudge against Ash ran deep.

Serena was trying to look for an opening to get to Ash, but was finding none. She reached for her pokeballs to help Ash, but stopped. It was then a strange image flashed across her mind. It happened so quickly that Serena didn't know what it was. That was weird. It kind of disoriented her for a bit.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ash exclaimed as he watched the flock of Spearow glaring intensely at them.

Fearow then gave an angry cry as it pointed its wings in Ash, Pikachu, and Charla's direction. All of the Spearow let out a war cry and dive bombed the three at the exact same time. This scene was almost a repeat of what had happened a year ago, except the weather was clear and not storming, and Ash wasn't helpless this time…

"Go! Everyone!" Ash yelled as he released the Pokemon he brought with him.

Wartortle, Bulbasaur, Pidgeotto, Charizard, and Hitmonchan appeared from their pokeballs before unleashing their attacks at the Spearow before they could reach Ash. Wartortle had gotten into its shell before spinning around rapidly for a Hydro Pump. Bulbsaur was using its vines to slap away any Spearow that got too close. Hitmonchan was using Thunder Punch against anything that came near it, and Charla and Pikachu were taking care of the rest.

Charizard faced their leader, Fearow, and narrowed its eyes. It would take care of their leader for daring to harm its trainer. Fearow and Charizard were just about to go at it before they were both surprised when Pidgeotto came out of nowhere and smashed right into Fearow's stomach with a Quick Attack.

Charizard growled at Pidgeotto to tell it to stay back but Pidgeotto shook its head. Too many times its had the opportunity to be the best bird Pokemon it could be. It would fall short every time, though. Being the loner that it used to be, Pidgeotto always thought of itself as independent. Upon becoming one of Ash's Pokemon, it saw just how wrong it was. It still took great pride in being a bird Pokemon, and that meant that it had to prove itself by winning. It still remembered how it lost to Paul's Fearow not too long ago.

Charizard gave a disapproving look before backing off and attacking some more Spearow. If Pidgeotto was resolved to do this, it would let it try to handle the Fearow. In response to this, Pidgeotto turned back to Fearow before cawing angrily at it. Fearow widened its eyes in surprise before matching the call in intensity. Just who did this puny bird think it was for trying to challenge it? This punk kid's Pidgeotto should know its place!Just before a brawl could break out, however, an opening was made that was large enough for Ash and his Pokemon squeeze through.

"This way!" Ash called to his Pokemon and Charla as they made a break for it. Pidgeotto watched the others run underneath it in Fearow as they got away. Fearow cawed angrily that its prey was escaping before it was attacked again by another Quick Attack from Pidgeotto. Fearow screeched at the sneak attack before slapping at Pidgeotto with its huge wings.

"Come on, Pidgeotto! We need to get out of here!" Ash yelled upon seeing it wasn't trying to escape.

Pidgeotto seemed to hesitate as it looked back at the Fearow. The beak Pokemon stared as if it was trying to see what Pidgeotto would do. It was then Pidgeotto glared before begrudgingly followed the others. Its pride was important to it, but it had enough common sense to know it couldn't take on a hundred Pokemon on its own. Fearow gave another screech as the Pidgeotto flying away from it before ordering its gang to give chase.

Serena, meanwhile, seemed to be in a dazed sort of state. Something just felt really weird as she was about to help Ash. What was wrong with her? Why did she stop? She had this strange feeling come across her as she watched Fearow and about to take out her other Pokemon. She then snapped out of it when she saw Ash and the other Pokemon coming towards her with the Spearow and Fearow chasing them from behind.

"Why are you just standing there, Serena?! Let's go!" Ash shouted as he got closer.

"Priiiiii!" Togepi cried from inside her backpack, also wondering why Serena wasn't moving.

"Umm…right!" Serena said as she turned around and started running as well.

Although the group was armed with more Pokemon and stronger than the last time they faced this flock, they were still horribly outnumbered. Not to mention because of the grudge this particular flock had, that only added to their determination to peck the group to death. It was then they broke through the trees and out into the open field, and then it was déjà vu as it was almost an exact replica of their first day with their situation and scenery.

"We can regroup with the others, and then if we combine all of our Pokemon, we may be able to take out all of these Spearow and their leader!" Ash suggested.

"Good idea! I don't want to go through something like this again!" Serena agreed.

As they continued to run, they could see their friends off in the distance, and a little more could show the look of shock on their faces.

"Ash! Serena!" Leaf shouted to from afar when they spotted the danger.

It was then Ash, his Pokemon, and Serena arrived at them while panting. The flock of Spearow then formed another ring around the group with Fearow in the center. They all cawed threateningly as they tried to find the best angle to attack the group from.

"What did you two do?!" Misty cried as she stared fearfully at the predicament they were all in.

"Well, you may recall about a hundred Spearow chasing us when we stole your bike the first day? These are the same Pokemon, and their leader's evolved. I don't think they like to forgive and forget," Ash answered almost sheepishly.

"Great! Now you've dragged us into it!" Misty groaned.

"It isn't like we provoked them this time!" Ash fired back.

"Now isn't the time to start arguing, guys! If we combine all of our Pokemon, we may be able to take them all out. My rock Pokemon will do great against these guys!" Brock reasoned as he reached for his pokeballs and released Onix, Rhyhorn, Graveler, Vulpix, Kabuto, and Golbat.

"That's right!" Leaf agreed as she released the six Pokemon she brought with her: Venusaur, Rapidash, Dewgong, Sandslash, Nidorino, and Raticate.

All of their Pokemon as well as Ash's then began to battle all of the Spearow while Fearow commanded them from above. It still had its eyes fixed on Ash as if to say it was going to get him one way of the other. It just had to wait for the perfect opportunity. Fearow loved being in charge like this. It made it feel special. These trainers are fools to pass it up like that. It will show them!

Wait. Serena found that rather odd. Did she just see into the Fearow's thoughts? What did it mean by that? Was she just imagining things? Was that just nonsense that appeared in her head just a second ago? It appeared to come from the Fearow, but if it did, what was going on?

Serena was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Misty had sent out all of her water Pokemon to battle the Spearow also. Staryu, Starmie, Goldeen, Shellder, and especially Gyarados were quite helpful. Psyduck, on the other hand, tried to help, but just ended up shooting up a few drizzles of water from its mouth. Misty quickly returned it because Psyduck may just end up getting hurt unless its headache was bad enough.

"Serena! What's wrong?!" Ash asked in concern as he saw the honey blonde-haired girl just standing there.

"I-I don't know. I just feel a little strange…like there is something stirring inside of me," Serena muttered.

"Is it your psychic ability?" Ash asked in surprise.

"I guess, but I don't know why or what it's doing," Serena answered.

"I hate to say it, but can you dwell on it another time?" Misty asked frantically as she ducked when a Spearow had found its way through to attack her.

"Right…," Serena replied a little distantly. Seriously, what was going on? It sort of felt like the time when her psychic abilities awoke for the first, but the bad thing was that it was so draining on her energy. She felt so tired. Her psychic abilities had definitely helped last time by giving Pikachu a boost in power, but this felt like it was used for something else, but what? Regardless, because she couldn't control when her psychic powers came about, unless she found out what it was doing, it would yield no benefit.

"Serena!" Ash called as he tried to snap her back to reality.

"I'll watch over Serena, Ash! You're better at commanding your Pokemon so we need you!" Leaf said as she ran over and supported Serena to keep her from falling over. Pikachu and Charla went over to form a semicircle around Leaf, Serena, and Togepi to keep them away.

Ash reluctantly nodded before ordering more of his Pokemon to keep attacking the Spearow gang. He then looked up and saw Pidgeotto had broken through the ranks again to battle their leader in Fearow again. Why was it doing that? Seeing all of his other Pokemon seemed be faring well, Ash put his focus on Pidgeotto.

"It's okay, Pidgeotto! I already know how strong you are as a bird Pokemon! You don't need to prove it by battling Fearow!" Ash yelled to it.

"Pidgoooooo!" Pidgeotto cried in response. Its right wing then started to glow as it prepared to use Steel Wing. It moved in to attack Fearow while the beak Pokemon brought out its own wing. The two opposing wings collided as both Pokemon strained to gain control. Fearow then let out a smirk as it saw how much longer its wings were than its opponents. It used its other wing to reach Pidgeotto and slap it away just like before. It then seemed to concentrate before its wing glowed as well before slamming it into Pidgeotto. It had used Mirror Move and copied Pidgeotto's Steel Wing.

"Pidgeotto!" Ash yelled in worry.

Ash calling out to his Pokemon is what shifted Fearow's attention back to him. The Pokemon got a glint in its eye as it had the perfect opportunity to get the boy right now. It then let out another shriek as it made a beeline towards Ash with its talons outstretched. It wouldn't miss this time.

Upon seeing what was about to take place, Pikachu left Serena's side and leaped up into the air to use Thunderbolt. Fearow nimbly dodged the attack before continuing its descent. Ash braced himself for Fearow to run him through, but it did something entirely different. It grabbed Ash instead with its talons before taking off again in the air.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu cried as it grabbed onto Ash's shoe, only to be taken along for the ride, as well.

"Ash! Pikachu!" Serena cried as she reached out to them, showing the most energy she had since her supposed psychic powers were awakening. As she watched Fearow carry the two away, she had another strange vision.

XXX

 _There was a thunderstorm, and there was a Spearow. It was by itself and quite injured. It limped on its talons in pain as it had been attacked earlier. Finally, unable to take anymore, it fell over on the ground in front of a large collection of trees. The tiny bird Pokemon gave a weak cry that it was all alone. Truthfully, Spearow had been alone its whole life, but now it was totally defenseless and realized just how by itself it truly was. It flinched as a thunderbolt tore across the sky. It wasn't particularly scared of a thunderstorm, but it did know it was weak against electricity. Being in an open field next to trees, it may get struck by lightning, and then that would be the end of it._

 _Spearow then heard what sounded like wings flapping in its direction. There were other flying types like itself out in this storm? It looked up at the thicket of trees and let out a weak cry of surprise as at least a dozen Spearow flew out of the trees. The small flock of Spearow stared at their injured kin in curiosity as it was lying on the ground._

 _Spearow looked back up at them and almost had a pleading look in its eyes. Surely they wouldn't abandon their own kind when it was injured like this, right? Its question was soon answered as two of them swooped down and grabbed it with their talons before flapping their tiny wings to lift it. They then carried it back to the tree. Despite its generally hostile nature, the Spearow was extremely grateful. If it fit in, maybe it could finally make friends._

XXX

Serena was in a slight daze as the vision left her. Were those memories of the past? Why was she seeing into a Spearow's past like this?

"Ash!" Leaf yelled, snapping Serena out of her thoughts.

How could she gave forgotten?! Ash was in trouble and needed help! Despite not feeling at peak strength, Serena finally sent out her other Pokemon she had on her: Cubone, Nidorina, Gloom, Hitmonlee, and Jigglypuff. Her Pokemon immediately joined the fray and began attacking any Spearow they could. Despite the help, the group's Pokemon were still seriously outnumbered.

Serena gave a look of worry as she saw Ash being lifted higher into the air. She then saw Charla and Charizard battling nearby and called out to them.

"Charla! Charizard! Ash is in trouble! You need to help him!" she told them.

The two Charizard were already one step ahead of Serena as they were battling extra hard to try to break through the Spearow. However, every time they would down a few, there would just be more to take their place. It was like they were multiplying, and the two Charizard were too bulky to break through the small opening they created. There was still one Pokemon, however, that could.

Pidgeotto burst through the ranks of the Spearow and tore through the air after Fearow, Ash, and Pikachu. It was a little tired from Fearow's earlier assault, but it could still fight just fine! Pidgeotto got a look of determination in its eyes as it cried out to Fearow before speeding up with Agility.

Ash, meanwhile, was struggling to try to break free of Fearow. He had no idea what the beak Pokemon had in store for him, but knew it couldn't be anything good. It was then he wondered if struggling like this was even a good idea as he saw how high up he was. If Ash broke out of Fearow's grasp, he would surely plummet to his death since there was nothing to break his fall since they were over an open field. That ruled out Pikachu shocking Fearow despite how much the rodent seemed tempted to do it. It was kind of a lose situation no matter what. Ash then saw Pidgeotto shooting towards them at incredible speed.

"Pidgeotto!" Ash smiled as he saw the bird Pokemon coming to save him and Pikachu.

"Pidgooo!" Pidgoetto cried again as it got closer.

Ash's shout and Pidgeotto's cry alerted Fearow to the presence coming up behind it. The beak Pokemon spun around and narrowed its eyes at the Pokemon coming after it. Fearow had to give the Pidgeotto credit for its resolve, but it was still no match for it. It flew over to the Pidgeotto to begin the duel of the bird Pokemon once more.

"Alright, Pidgeotto! Use Air Slash!" Ash commanded.

Pidgeotto spread out its wings before making a slicing motion in the air with them. Two white blades appeared before soaring through the air and striking Fearow right in the midsection. The beak Pokemon gave a cry of pain before glaring and going on the offensive this time. Its beak began to spin like a drill as it moved in to stab Pidgeotto.

"Use Agility to get out of the way and get behind it, Pidgeotto!" Ash hollered.

Pidgeotto obeyed and quickly maneuvered out of the way before it was behind Fearow. It then charged in and struck it in the back with Quick Attack. Fearow once again shrieked at the attack before batting its wing at Pidgeotto who quickly moved away again. Despite the attacks that it was taking, Fearow still maintained its grip on Ash which the raven-haired boy was thankful for. Once Pidgeotto took care of Fearow, it could help him back to the ground.

"Use Air Slash again!" Ash called.

Pidgeotto once more created the blades of air from its wings. Fearow successfully dodged the attack this time and went after Pidgeotto who got out of the way again. It then tried a Gust attack, but Fearow dodged that, too. It seemed Pidgeotto had no choice but to go physical, and unfortunately, that's what Fearow wanted.

"Use Steel Wing!" Ash yelled.

Pidgeotto charged up its wing and flew towards Fearow who simply hovered there. The Steel Wing slammed into the beak Pokemon, and it cried out in pain before glaring at the Pidgeotto. It then spread out its regal wings and grabbed Pidgeotto to keep it from escaping. Its beak began spinning once more as it prepared Drill Peck.

"Watch out, Pidgeotto!" Ash cried as he saw what Fearow was fixing to do.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu cried.

Pidgeotto struggled in vain as it tried to fight out of the Fearow's mighty grasp. Why did it always seem to do poorly when going against other bird Pokemon? It wasn't like it was never unheard of about a weaker Pokemon beating a stronger one so why couldn't it win, too? Ash said they were going to train harder, but that still didn't mean it couldn't win now. Why?

Pidgoetto's eyes then widened in terror as Fearow thrust its beak downwards, hitting Pidgeotto directly in the weak spot. The bird Pokemon gave cry of pain from the critical hit before spiraling downward towards the ground. It was falling at an angle so it didn't hit the ground directly. Instead, it ended up falling into a lone bush in the field below it. Ash scanned the bush for any sign of Pidgeotto despite the distance, but he saw nothing. That could only mean Pidgeotto had been knocked out. Ash was now at the Fearow's mercy.

He and Pikachu then looked up at Fearow who glared back at Ash. It then flapped its huge wings as it began to ascend higher and higher into the sky. It wasn't flying any further away, only getting higher. That could only mean one thing. Fearow planned to drop Ash and Pikachu from far up so they would fall to their death.

"Come on, Fearow! It isn't like we purposely try to look for trouble with you!" Ash pleaded as he realized the beak Pokemon's plans.

Fearow responded with an angry cry before continuing to go further up. What this stupid boy didn't realize was there was more to it than that. Yes, it despised him for attacking it back then, but that alone wouldn't make Fearow hold a grudge for this long. It was about how it was casually ignored and forgotten about like some trash the day it met the boy. Fearow couldn't stand feeling like that. This boy treated it like garbage and Fearow was returning the favor. The worst part was that Ash was oblivious to all of this.

"Wait! Can't we talk this over?!" Ash tried again.

He then looked far down below where he saw the enormous flock of Spearow continue to battle his friends and Pokemon. Their Pokemon were a lot stronger and healthier than the Spearow individually, but it was the sheer number of Spearow that was overwhelming them. This was completely ridiculous! They were just casually passing through but just had to run into the same flock of Spearow who chased him and Serena on the first day of their journey, and they were back with a vengeance! Now even Leaf, Misty, and Brock were dragged into this, and they were completely innocent.

Ash and Pikachu looked up once more once they felt Fearow had stopped. The beak Pokemon seemed to be inspecting its height to see if it had reached a suitable distance. Seeming to be satisfied, it then looked down at Ash and narrowed its eyes. Ash stared back into the eyes with panic written all over his face, and that was when Fearow brought back its talons and forcefully threw Ash from its grip, and he began to fall.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!" Ash screamed as he fell. He then grabbed onto Pikachu as tight as he could while it did the same.

"Ash! No!" Serena screamed as she saw him be thrown from Fearow's talons. Brock, Misty, and Leaf also became alarmed as they and their Pokemon began fighting with more force than ever. They couldn't allow this to happen to Ash.

Charla and Charizard gave a mighty roar before unleashing what was probably their most powerful Flamethrower yet. They aimed for the same spot as several Spearow were roasted from the flames before falling over, creating a larger opening than usual. Despite getting tired, especially from the massive Flamethrower they made, the two Pokemon took flight and tore through the opening before more Spearow could take the place of the fallen ones. They made a beeline for Ash, and their eyes widened when they saw Ash was falling away from them. That would make it extra difficult.

The four humans cried out as they saw their friend falling. There was no way this could be happening to Ash! He couldn't go out like this! They then began to try to break through wall of Spearow themselves, but were only getting pecked in the process. That didn't stop them, however. Both they and their Pokemon screamed in pain as they protected their bodies as best as they could. They had to reach Ash in time. Despite her weakened state, even Serena was fighting her hardest, temporarily forgetting about the visions she had.

While all of this continued to go on, Pidgeotto continued lying in the large bush it had fallen into. It was injured quite badly from that Drill Peck and struggling weakly to take flight again, but it was so tangled and weak that it wasn't able to. Pidgoetto gave a weak cry that it lost once again, but this also made it think for moment. Why did it fight? Why did it want to surpass every other bird Pokemon?

Well, the answer wasn't too hard of answer. It fought because of its pride. Being somewhat of a loner before it met Ash, that was all Pidgeotto focused on. It didn't have time to be lazy and enjoy the good life. It wasn't in its nature. Its pride kept it always forcing to improve itself. Then Ash had captured it, and that opened Pidgeotto's eyes that it couldn't become the strongest it could be by itself. Ever since then, under Ash's guidance, Pidgeotto worked extra hard to be the best. That answered why it needed Ash as a trainer, but that still left one unanswered question.

Why did it fight?

Pidgeotto recalled the times that it trained with Ash and his other Pokemon. It would train even when at Professor Oak's ranch. Still, its most productive sessions were when it was with Ash. So it fought could win in the future, but win for what? Was it winning for itself? Images of Ash flashed through its mind as it recalled Ash's dream to become a Pokemon Master. It sounded selfish on the outside, but was it? It wasn't like he gave credit to himself when he won, and he wanted others to experience the journey with him. He always thanked his Pokemon for what great job they did, and it filled Pidgeotto with happiness that it fought for Ash.

Wait. That was it. It fought for its trainer, Ash Ketchum. It fought so it could further his dream. Ash's and Pidogeotto's dreams coincided the moment Ash captured it. They were a team, and there was no reason to be alone. It was a selfless fight so it could see its trainer succeed in what he did. Pidgeotto wanted to get stronger for its trainer, not itself. It did this so it could fight for its trainer when he needed it…as well as protect him when he needed it.

That was when Pidgeotto heard its trainer scream as he was dropped by Fearow. The bird Pokemon could see through the cracks of the bushes that its trainer was falling at a very quick rate. It could also see the two Charizard flying towards Ash as fast as they could, but they were too far away and wouldn't make it in time. Pidgeotto realized it was the only one close enough to save him, and it wasn't going to let its weakened state or this bush stop it! With a rush of adrenaline, Pidgeotto gave a cry and shot out of the bushes straight for Ash.

The whole group was temporarily surprised by how fast Pidgeotto was able to get out. That was a lot of will on its part. Ash was still falling at a quick rate and Pidgeotto sped up as it placed itself right underneath Ash, intending to catch him. Pidgeotto then realized it mistake as it felt Ash's full body weight fall on top of it. The bird Pokemon let out a gasp as Ash's weight was too much for it, and it began plummeting towards the ground with Ash on top of it.

"Pidgeotto! Are you okay?!" Ash cried once he saw what the bird Pokemon had done, despite the fact that they were still sinking towards the ground.

Pidgeotto then lifted its head and let out loud cry. It sounded somewhat different then the cries Ash had heard it make in the past. Pidgeotto then made its loudest cry yet as it began to glow a shiny white. It was evolving!

The four humans on the ground and their Pokemon watched in amazement as they saw Pidgeotto. Charla and Charizard briefly stopped their pursuit of getting to Ash when they saw what Pidgeotto was doing. Ash and Pikachu could feel Pidgeotto getting larger underneath them. Its crest was getting longer and longer until it almost reached the end of its body. Pidgeotto finally stopped glowing, and in its place was Pidgeot!

"Woah, Pidgeot," Ash muttered before he once again realized they were only seconds away from hitting the ground. Ash braced himself for what would probably his and his Pokemons' deaths, but it never came.

Pidgeot gave a mighty flap of its wings and before leveling itself and swooped back into the air just before it hit the ground. It then began making a beeline back towards Fearow as it glared at the beak Pokemon. Pidgeot then nodded to Charla and Charizard who had caught up by now signaling that it would handle the fight with Fearow. Understanding the message, the two Charizard flew back to help the other Pokemon handle the Spearow flock.

The four humans below gave huge sigh of relief before finding a renewed sense of determination. They could beat this gang of hostile birds! Their Pokemon seemed to be thinking along the same lines as them as they began fighting ever harder. Some were even combining their attacks to take out multiple Spearow at once. The horde was starting to wear thin ever so slightly.

Pidgeot continued to fly back to Fearow to finish the fight from earlier. It then turned around and let out a cry to Ash.

"You want me to fight Fearow with you?" Ash asked.

"Pidgo!" Pidgeot nodded.

"You got it, Pidgeot! I'm ready if you are!" Ash agreed as he turned his hat backwards.

Fearow couldn't believe this. Despite soundly defeating this bird, it never gave up. On top of that, it even evolved to come back for more. It would never admit it, but deep down, Fearow admired how strong-willed the Pidgeot was. Was it doing this for its trainer? A trained Pokemon. Fearow then shook its head of these thoughts as Pidgeot became level with it. It then flapped its regal wings and charged in to fight this Pidgeot again.

"Alright, Pidgeot! Let's try out your new and improved Air Slash!" Ash called.

Pidgeot nodded as it gave a mighty flap of its wings as larger and an increased number of blade shaped energy came from its wings. They soared through the air and struck Fearow dead on. The beak Pokemon gasped in pain and was blown backwards by the force of the attack. It then shook its head to attack again, but Ash had already issued another attack.

Pidgeot slammed into Fearow with Quick Attack before striking it with a Steel Wing for a two attack combo. Fearow reached out and grabbed Pidgeot again now that it had gotten close. Its beak then began spinning very fast as it prepared another Drill Peck, but it was surprised when Pidgeot smashed another Steel Wing into its long beak this time, effectively stopping the attack.

"Excellent job, Pidgeot!" Ash praised as the bird Pokemon broke free from the injured Fearow.

The Fearow grimaced and stared back defiantly at the boy and Pokemon in front of it. Just because this Pidgeot had a trainer didn't mean that it still couldn't win!

"Use Agility to get above Fearow!" Ash called.

The bird Pokemon did as told and seemed to disappear because it moved so fast. Fearow glanced around wildly before finally looking above it, but it was too late. Another Air Slash slammed into its face, the force pushing Fearow down.

"You're up, Pikachu," Ash nodded to it.

"Pika," the yellow rodent nodded as it leaped from Pidgeot's back and landed on Fearow.

The beak Pokemon turned its head to look at the innocent face of Pikachu and grimaced. It knew what was coming next.

"Pikachuuuu!" Pikachu shouted as it gave Fearow a Thunderbolt.

Fearow cried out in pain from the super effective attack. As it was shocked, it made a mental note to forever loathe this boy. His Pokemon always were able to one up it no matter how hard it tried. Despite the pain it was in, Fearow briefly wondered what it would be like if it had a trainer. It was at that moment the attack finally relented. Unable to keep flight anymore, Fearow gave an exhausted cry before falling towards the ground. Pikachu leaped off it and was caught by Ash as Pidgeot soared underneath it.

Upon seeing what happened, the flock of Spearow watched as their leader was falling to the ground. Yet not one of them made a move to save it. They were in too much surprise. If their leader was defeated by one Pokemon what did that mean for them? Would they be beaten, too? They lost to the same group twice.

To break its fall, Fearow used the last of its energy to flap its wings to slow down. It then hit the ground with an audible thud before letting out another weak squawk. It then slowly lifted its head and saw its gang…its friends…all watching it with surprise on their faces. Fearow gave almost a pleading look to them once more. Surely they would come to its rescue and save it like they did before! That was what Fearow thought, however.

It gave a surprised gasp as the Spearow all gave a cry before taking off, but not in the direction of Fearow. They were all flying away from it! They were running away! Even the defeated ones were lifting themselves off the ground to get away. They were leaving it behind with these people who had hurt it. Fearow couldn't believe this! They were supposed to be it friends, and they were abandoning it?! Fearow cried out as it desperately tried to get them to come back, but it fell on deaf ears. The flock of Spearow continued to fly away until they were out of sight. Fearow then looked down towards the ground and felt absolutely awful. It truly realized now how alone it was.

The group and their Pokemon, meanwhile, began celebrate that they beat the gang of Spearow. They knew that they wouldn't have to worry about that flock anymore now that their power had been shown. They were covered with a few scratches from the talons and pecks from the Spearow, but nothing that a few band-aids couldn't fix. They recalled their Pokemon and glanced at the downed Fearow. It was then they raised an eyebrow in confusion when they saw what looked like a tear had escaped Fearow's eyes, but it wasn't from the physical pain it was in.

"Alright, Pidgeot! Let's capture that Fearow!" Ash shouted from above.

Pidgeot then flew downward before landing a short distance from Fearow. Ash and Pikachu hopped off Pidgeot's back and walked near the Fearow who was facing away from them. Ash then pulled out a pokeball and threw it at the Fearow.

"Pokeball, go!" he shouted as he tossed the ball.

As soon as Fearow heard those words, it put on a look of disgust. There was no way on Earth it was about to let this boy capture it. He had caused it too much pain to have that opportunity now. He had his chance a long time ago when they first met, but that ship has sailed. It then gave an angry cry before using another burst of energy to knock the pokeball away.

The pokeball flew back to Ash's hands as he stared at the Fearow in confusion. It clearly didn't have enough energy to fight anymore so why was it resisting? Ash then noticed the anger in Fearow's eyes as it stared back defiantly at him. It was also when he noticed the couple of tears falling from its face. This was rather odd. Even if Ash had met this Pokemon once before in an unfriendly fashion, the fact that Fearow despised Ash this much was unnatural. There had to be something else at play here.

"Fearow…," Ash trailed as he was joined by his other friends and his Pokemon. They each embraced him in relief due to the close call he had moments before.

Ash accepted the group hug before turning back to Serena. "Are you feeling a little better right now?"

"Just a little," Serena answered as she panted. "My psychic is randomly showing up right now like your aura does, and it's just tiring me out."

Ash and the others stared at her in confusion. Usually, these types of things only awakened when you were feeling an intense emotional moment like Ash did previously. Why was it showing up now of all times? Serena herself wondered the same thing. Was it because she was worried for Ash when he was attacked by Fearow? Well, of course, but it shouldn't have triggered it. So what did? The group then turned back to look at the Fearow.

"Oh my goodness," Leaf muttered when she saw also saw the pure hostility in Fearow's eyes as it watched Ash.

Serena looked at Fearow with a worried expression. She was almost positive that those thoughts that were going through her head were Fearow's. It looked completely worn out yet was still refusing to be caught. What could it be that was making Fearow act like this? If she could get in close, she might be able to find out. The angry look Fearow had, however, showed it wasn't going to let that happen. Maybe if they showed it that they cared a little bit.

"Brock," she spoke up, causing the Pokemon Breeder to look at her, "Do you have a Potion with you? I'd make some medicine, but there aren't any of those plants around here."

"You want to heal Fearow?" Misty asked in confusion. "Shouldn't we try to catch it first before doing that?"

"No. Even if we did catch it, I wouldn't feel right knowing how Fearow feels about us," Serena answered.

"What do you mean?" Leaf asked her.

"I-I was able to see into some of Fearow's thoughts," Serena replied a little slowly to make sure she understood herself, too.

The whole group let out a gasp at that.

"Your psychic powers allow you read the thoughts and memories of Pokemon?!" Misty exclaimed in surprise.

"I guess that would make sense," Ash commented as he scratched his head. "Ms. Yellow has that ability, too, with her psychic powers. I think now Serena is just discovering all she can do with her abilities one at a time like me."

"Yes. In order to fully understand Fearow's feelings, I need to get a little closer to it, but I can't unless it will let me. That's why we should try to heal it a little first," Serena said.

"Alright. I do have a Potion," Brock spoke up as he reached into his backpack to pull the concoction out. He then looked over to Serena and nodded his head to ask if it was okay to which Serena nodded back. Healing the likes of a Pokemon like Fearow was best left in the hands of an expert like Brock.

"It's okay, Fearow. I promise I won't hurt you," Brock said gently as he approached it slowly so as not to startle it.

Fearow stared back angrily at Brock as he approached it, but didn't move to attack him. Technically, this boy had done nothing to it and only happened to be traveling with the raven-haired boy. He also wasn't there the first time, either. From what Fearow could tell, this probably wasn't a bad person. It would at least let him get close to see what he would do.

Brock knelt down and kept the relaxed smile on his face as he opened up the potion to spray it. The group found it quite amazing that Brock wasn't showing the least bit of nervousness when handling such a dangerous Pokemon. They knew they would have been scared if they were in Brock's position. The Fearow could easily stab Brock with its beak if it desired. The dark-skinned boy was truly gifted in his abilities as a Pokemon Breeder

"Just hold still for a moment, Fearow. This potion might help you injuries a bit," Brock ordered calmly as he began to spray Fearow with it. He then stood up and waited to see what would happen.

Once the medicine had sprayed over Fearow, the beak Pokemon began to feel its effects. It wasn't a very strong potion so it didn't feel fully healed, but at least it didn't feel on the verge of collapsing anymore. Maybe it would have enough strength to fly and get away from these people, particularly that boy.

"You shouldn't try to move just yet," Brock told it as if reading Fearow's thoughts.

"That's right. It could just hurt you further," Ash added.

At the sound of Ash's voice, Fearow immediately turned towards him and let out a loud and angry shriek. The raven-haired boy flinched back at Fearow's harsh tone, but recovered not long afterward. It was clear that the beak Pokemon was done with him.

"It's okay, Ash. Maybe it's best if you just let Brock and Serena handle this one," Leaf told him as she rubbed his back.

Ash nodded and turned back to Brock and Serena. The Pokemon Breeder had nodded to Serena again to signal that if she were to get close to Fearow, now would be a good time. The honey-blonde haired girl looked Fearow in the eyes as she began to walk towards it.

Fearow didn't really know what to make of this girl. Sure, she was obviously close to that other boy and his Pokemon and had also been there when they first met. However, she was never the one to attack it, unless necessary anyway. She was simply caught in the crossfire of it all. Did that make her innocent of all of this? Certainly not. Despite this, Fearow felt a strange calmness as Serena approached it, like all of its anger was disappearing as hard as that was.

Serena finally got within arm's reach of Fearow. She gave the Fearow a comforting smile before extending her arm towards Fearow's head. If she could learn Fearow's motives, she might be able to help it. If she didn't, what would stop it from attacking them or other trainers in the future out of spite? Its extreme emotions were ruling its behavior. This issue had to be resolved now.

Serena's eyes glowed blue as her hand got closer. Fearow still made no move to attack her. Serena finally closed the distance as her hand rested soothingly on Fearow's head. The beak Pokemon had to admit she had a gentle and caring touch. It was then Serena saw it all through the eyes of Fearow.

XXX

 _It hadn't been too long since Spearow had been taken in by its gang. It was feeling much better and decided to venture out of the trees today to find something to eat. As it scrounged on the ground for something, it heard the sound of hooting. It perked its head up and saw about three Pidgey nearby. They were obviously out for a little breakfast or just hanging out with each other. Spearow promptly turned away and ignored them. It didn't have any quarrels with them, but that didn't mean it had to be nice to them. They were rivals to Spearow as far as it was concerned._

 _Spearow had just gone back to looking for food when it heard voices. Its head instantly snapped back up and saw two humans, a Pikachu, and a Charmander not too far away. They were obviously Pokemon trainers and those two Pokemon belonged to them. They were pretty lucky to have somebody look out for them. Maybe it if it got a little closer…_

 _"Oh! Pidgey!" the black-haired boy of the group exclaimed in excitement, causing Spearow to stop._

 _He was only interested in those Pidgey? Did he not notice it? Hello? It was here, too!_

 _Spearow then watched as the boy continued to try to capture the Pidgey through various means. He was trying by just throwing a pokeball or subduing them with a blanket. Okay. This kid was pretty stupid, but it would be nice if he at least acknowledged that it was here. It then turned to look at the girl and saw she was too busy watching the boy to notice it, either. What was it? Trash that they couldn't even spare a glance at?! Maybe it wanted to be caught, too, so they could at least have showed they cared enough to try! It made Spearow quite angry._

 _Despite this, Spearow would still get the boy to notice it. It began hopping forward to get closer to him before it looked up and saw a blanket coming down on top of it. Spearow's world was covered in darkness as it was surrounded by the blanket on all sides. That did it. First, this boy ignores it and goes after other Pokemon instead, and now it just had his blanket tossed on it like some piece of furniture! Now it was absolutely rigid. It just wanted to be noticed!_

 _A few seconds later, the blanket was peeled off of it, and the black-haired boy's eyes finally met Spearow's for the first time. He didn't exactly looked pleased with this meeting, and quite frankly, looked quite scared. He still didn't show any indication that he was thinking of capturing it._

 _"Uh, hey there, Spearow. I'm sure it wasn't very pleasant to have that blanket fall on you like that and interrupting whatever it was you were doing. It was an accident. Are we good?" he asked._

 _Oh, sure they're good! After he failed to even notice it until the blanket fell on top it?! It wasn't like Spearow was far away or anything! Spearow will teach him to ignore it like that. It then let out an angry cry and took flight before beginning to peck the boy relentlessly. Now you notice it since it's a threat, huh?!_

 _It was then hit by tiny embers. They burned a lot, but didn't do too much damage. Spearow's raged eyes turned and saw it had been the girl and her Charmander who attacked it. Charmander. A trained Pokemon. Spearow was so jealous! It wanted to be raised with care, also! It hated this Charmander for it, too. It gave a cry before flying towards the girl and her Charmander._

 _"Pikachuuuuu!"_

 _Spearow then had a nasty shock as the boy's Pikachu used Thundershock. It then fell to the ground in defeat. Well, since it had been defeated, maybe these humans would try to capture it now. That's what they were supposed to do anyway. It was angry now, but once they captured it, maybe it could calm down and give them another chance._

 _Spearow waited in anticipation for a pokeball to be thrown at it, but it never came. In confusion, Spearow lifted its head slightly to see the boy and girl talking with each other and their Pokemon. Hey! There was a downed Pokemon here! Where's the pokeball you're supposed to throw?! Despite waiting to see if the girl and especially that boy would even acknowledge it was here, they never did._

 _Spearow began to feel hurt at this. This boy ignores it, attacks it, and then ignores it again after they defeat it?! They aren't even paying one bit of attention to it. Was that all it was to them? Complete garbage that could be forgotten about once dealt with? Its hurt feelings morphed again into true anger at these humans. It will teach them. It then turned around and cried in help as loudly as it could. Its real friends would take care of them!_

 _It then almost smiled as it saw the whole Spearow gang come out of the trees. They were flying towards it and coming to its rescue. At least that was what Spearow thought. Its own kind soared over it and began to chase those two humans and their Pokemon, not even sparing it a glance as they passed. Well, that was okay, right? They were just wanting revenge on those humans for hurting their friend and were standing up for it. They would come get it once they came back. They were its true friends…._

 _…until they abandoned it just now. Even after this, no trainer so much had looked its way, but they never compared to its first meeting with that boy. Maybe trash was all Fearow truly was. That's how it had been treated its whole life after all…_

 _XXX_

The memories left Serena as her eyes stopped glowing. She then put a hand to her chest and began gasping. Her friends wanted to run to her aid, but knew any sudden movements by them might provoke Fearow. Brock, knowing he was the only one allowed so far, slowly walked up to Serena to help support her and gave her a reassuring smile. Serena gave a tired smile back before turning to Fearow and looked in its eyes. She looked at it in sadness and pity.

"Now I see," she said softly. "You're lonely, aren't you?"

Fearow's eyes widened at this. Was this girl truly able to read what it was thinking this whole time? How did she do that? The look in Fearow's eyes confirmed what Serena stated to everyone else, as well. This Fearow was lonely? Then why did it attack them like this?!

"The problem is your letting this sense of loneliness be ruled by your emotions. All you feel are hatred and jealousy, and that causes problems for you," Serena continued.

Fearow gave a slight squawk and turned to the side. So what if it was an emotional Pokemon? Was it not allowed to have feelings, too?!

"I know it's hard, but you have to not view things so negatively. That ends up hurting you more in the end when you fail to see the big picture," Serena said.

The beak Pokemon still didn't appear to be listening to her. It was then Serena decided to try a different approach to get its attention.

"Fearow, Ash and I had no idea you felt that way when we first met you. We didn't know you wanted to be noticed and captured. We thought you attacked us because we disturbed you," Serena told it.

Ash raised an eyebrow in confusion at this. He turned to look at Pikachu as it shrugged in response. Clearly, it didn't know what Fearow's true feelings were either the day they were attacked. Ash then turned back to watch the scene. This was certainly news to him.

"We didn't intentionally ignore you, either," Serena stated as she clasped her hands together and had on a look of regret and looking Fearow straight in the eye. "For what it's worth, I speak for both myself and Ash when I say we're so sorry."

Ash wanted to voice his apology, too, but ultimately decided not to. Serena was doing a good job so far, and Ash didn't want to spoil it in case he upset Fearow again.

Fearow looked at Serena with doubt on its face. Okay, so they were sorry? That still didn't take away the past, did it? It wouldn't so easily forgive them just like that. It treated them horribly, too, but it didn't want to admit that. Well, there it goes again, being selfish.

"I saw a lot of your memories just now, Fearow," Serena said sympathetically, causing it to look in surprise at her again, confirming its earlier thought. "You've have such a lonely life where it seems like nothing wants you and you have no friends. That's terrible. That feeling probably only felt worse when your Spearow left you just now."

Fearow then looked back down again. It almost felt tears sting its eyes, something that it rarely did despite doing so twice today. Yes, it truly felt at the lowest point of its life right now. Its gang leaving it truly proved that nothing and no one cared for it. It was probably just meant to be alone for the rest of its life…and then die alone.

"Fearow, if it's okay, I'd like to start over. If you're looking for a friend, I can be that to you. No Pokemon deserves to be treated like trash and be alone forever," Serena told it.

This got Fearow's full attention as it looked back up at Serena. It tried to study her for any sense of betrayal or insincerity in her expression, but it found none. She was being completely serious to it. She really wanted to try to make things up to it. Still, could Fearow really go through with it with all that's happened in the past with this group?

"I have a Cubone that was lonely at first when I met it," Serena recalled to Fearow. "It didn't trust anyone, either. Now, I was able to show that there truly are those who care for it, and it's come a long way since then. I would like to do the same for you. As a Pokemon, you deserve to be happy and have a friend. If you'll let me, I'll be more than happy to fill that role."

Fearow put on a confused frown at this. Should it really accept her offer? It's bad and angry side was screaming at it to not trust her and attack for trying to deceive it. The other side wanted to believe her and give her a chance. Too much in the past, Fearow had let its jealous and bad side take over, but this girl's words were slowly breaking it down. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to give its reasonable side a shot once. It was then surprised when it felt Serena's soft hand on its head once again. She really did have a gentle touch. It was quite soothing.

"If you give me a chance, I won't ever let you feel lonely ever again," Serena said sincerely. "I'll treat you with love just like I do all of my other Pokemon. I promise."

Those words did it in Fearow. It finally pushed its bitterness away and let its true colors show. Yes. It wanted a trainer. It wanted to be cared for and have real friends, too. It wanted a sense of fulfillment in its life and not be lonely anymore! It could now drop the bad blood between it and this girl, Serena, was her name? She was truly noticing it and its real feelings. If she was able to understand it this well, Fearow definitely wanted to be with her. The beak Pokemon almost felt tears come to its eyes again as it nodded its head at Serena to show its decision.

Serena gave a warm smile to it response. "Thank you, Fearow. I promise to be here for you when you need anything. I'm happy that I'm going to get to know the real you."

With that, Serena pulled out an empty pokeball and held it in front of Fearow. The beak Pokemon did nothing and appeared to be waiting for Serena to put in. Yes. A trainer was finally looking its direction. It was finally being noticed and wouldn't be alone anymore. Maybe, for once its life, Fearow really found a true friend. The red beam then came over as it was called into the pokeball. The device immediately 'dinged' to show the capture was met with no effort against the opposing Pokemon. Serena stared at the pokeball that now contained Fearow for a moment before sadly watching it transport out of her hand and back to Professor Oak's lab. That's right. She had more than six Pokemon with her.

"I think it's best if I have Professor Oak transport Fearow to me as quickly as possible," Serena said. "If I don't, it will go against everything I just told Fearow. I can't do that to it."

"Hey, Serena. That was really well done," Brock smiled as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Brock," Serene replied. "I just hope that Fearow allows me to get close to it."

"I'm sure it will," Brock told her. "I sensed that Fearow genuinely trusted you."

"Right," Serena agreed.

"In fact," Brock continued as he rubbed his chin, "With the way you are able to read Pokemon's thoughts and emotions with your psychic abilities, you might make a fine Pokemon Breeder one day!"

Serena giggled in good nature at Brock's suggestion. Sure, there were some things about being a Pokemon Breeder that appealed to her, but ultimately it wasn't for her. She still wasn't quite sure what it was that was her true calling, but it would come in due time. She just had to be patient.

"Speaking of your psychic abilities, how are they now?" Misty asked curiously.

It was then Serena noticed that the strange feeling was gone. She was a little weak from using them, and it did show up a little randomly, but it worked out in the end to help a Pokemon in need. In the future when she would be taught, she'll be able to control them, and it might not take such a toll on her energy either. Now that Yellow knew Serena learned of her psychic powers, she had promised to train the girl when the time was right, whenever that may be.

"I think they're gone for now, but it's okay," Serena replied.

"I know you'll be a wonderful trainer to Fearow," Leaf added.

"Definitely, and I think Pidgeot will be able to help out, too, since they're both flying-types!" Ash stated as he patted his newly evolved Pokemon on the back.

"Pidgeeooo!" it agreed. Now that the fight between it and Fearow was over, it was agreeing to put the past behind it.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu added. Like Pidgeot, Pikachu would forgive Fearow. It was a lot like the situation with Aerodactyl at first, and in the end, the two could get along.

It was then a thought came to Ash, and he slapped his forehead and let out a groan.

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered.

"What's wrong, Ash?" Serena wondered as she and everyone else looked at him.

"Now you own two Pokemon that hate my guts! I think your Scyther just found a new best friend!" Ash exclaimed.

Everyone got a good laugh at that. How ironic it was that Serena loved Ash but some of her Pokemon couldn't stand him!

* * *

 **I remember how just about every single person was against the idea of Ash releasing Pidgeot. With that in mind, I knew he didn't need two normal/flying types when he was traveling in the Orange Islands. I created this alternative instead. I kind of got the idea from remembering in the first episode of the anime when the pokedex said wild Pokemon are jealous of human trained Pokemon. I hope you all enjoy Serena's new addition to her team in the emotionally unstable Fearow. Just so you know, Fearow wasn't the Pokemon that Serena gets in the Orange Island arc that I thought would be a surprise. She'll get one more Pokemon, but it isn't until towards the end of the arc.**

 **I have now created a new poll. Like the last one, its nothing serious and just for fun, and it satisfies my idle curiosity. All of you know, or should know, that I'm a guy by now, but what's your gender? I want to know the percentage of readers I have of which are male or female. Do I have an even distribution or is it completely one sided? This poll will let me know if I am able to appeal to both genders or not so it may help in the long run. Please take less than a minute of your time to vote in the poll.**

 **The next chapter will be up June 20. Thanks for all the support and see you then!**

 **Chapter 4: Onward to the Orange Islands!  
**

 **I ONLY ANSWER ORANGE LEAGUE ISLAND QUESTIONS WHILE I'M DOING THIS ARC! EVERYTHING ELSE IS IGNORED SO DON'T ASK ME SOMETHING THAT PERTAINS TO OTHER REGIONS RIGHT NOW! I'VE ALREADY EXPLAINED MY REASONING FOR DOING THIS! WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF EVEN WRITING THESE AUTHOR'S NOTES IF PEOPLE WON'T READ THEM!?**

 **Answering the Questions (slight spoilers)**

 _Will Ash and Serena tell each other about their dreams?  
_

 _ **Yeah.**  
_

 _Will ash still win the Orange league like canon?  
_

 ** _Maybe_**

 _Do you have a description of Ash and Serena's new clothes?_

 ** _Yes. They are wearing the clothes they bought at the Indigo Plateau._**

 _Is the second Pokemon Serena will get will be that baby Lugia, Tigepi or Lapras?_

 ** _Serena already has Togepi and no to the other two._**

 _Will you reveal why Brock doesn't want to talk about Professor Ivy when he comes back?_

 ** _Briefly, but it is what everyone else already knows about it._**

 _Will Ash be hailed as a hero for his heroics during the Power Of One?_

 ** _No more than he was in canon._**

 _Will Serena give Ash more good luck kisses?_

 ** _Why wouldn't she?_**

 _Also can you please spice up this arc with tons of amourshipping?  
_

 ** _There will be plenty of amour moments in this arc. There will be jealousy, heartbreak, blushing, hugging, kissing (not detailed), and fun for them to be had in this arc. There just hasn't been an opportunity for much moments yet._**

 _Do you plan on having this Misty x Rudy pairing become something serious?_

 ** _That is one of the scenarios I have going in my head right now. Misty will still travel with Ash after they see Rudy again, though._**

 _Does the future that Ash and Serena's dream mean that Arceus may appear in the future?_

 ** _Of course Arceus will appear, but not in Orange Islands if that's what you meant._**

 _Will the meeting with Tracey be different form the anime ?_

 ** _Yes. Their meeting is different._**

 _Is the Pokemon that Serena is going to catch that we will not expect be a non-Kanto Pokemon, and will said non-Kanto Pokemon be Fennekin!?_

 ** _It actually is a Kanto Pokemon. You have 150 choices. Maybe I should clarify by saying it will be a surprise as I seriously doubt any of you will guess it, but I believe all of you will be pleased with it. It won't be something random. Sorry but it isn't Fennekin, but fear not. The little fox Pokemon will be in this story eventually._**

 _Will the Super Rod play a role in this story?_

 ** _Yes._**

Will ash and serena get some more intimate moments?

 _ **Of course. They are boyfriend and girlfriend after all.**_

 _Aside from Pidgeotto, will any other of Ash or Serena's Pokemon evolve this arc?  
_

 ** _Maybe._**

 _Will there be any slight Tracey x Misty hints?_

 ** _No. Just friendship._**


	4. Onwards to the Orange Islands!

**A/N: Alright, everyone. Here is chapter four, the last of the prologue chapters. It's a little shorter than my usual 10,000+ word chapters, but you can only cram so much into a short boat trip. It does have a couple of important plot points, though...for later, and some good amourshipping. Please enjoy the chapter!**

 **I think this question needs to be addressed at the top of the chapter because it gets asked a lot...**

 **Yes. I know. I always refer to a Pokemon as "IT". I'm completely aware of it and do it on purpose. It's just the type of style I do for my story. That doesn't mean that every Pokemon in the story is genderless. Just look at my profile for proof on Ash and Serena's Pokemon genders. I just find that sometimes it's easier to write "It" than keep track of the gender of every single Pokemon in the story and slip up.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

* * *

Chapter 4: Onward to the Orange Islands!

It was the evening time right now on the Old Shore Wharf near Pallet Town. Besides Vermillion City and Fuchsia City, this was the only place in Kanto where one could set off by ship or boat, mainly drawing in the people of Pallet Town, Viridian City, or Pewter City. It wasn't necessarily a city, but there were a few basic stores and a Pokemon Center to supply trainers with their needs while they waited for their ships to depart.

Serena, Leaf, and Misty stood on the shoreline of Old Shore Wharf as they looked off into the ocean. It brought back quite the memory. The last time they were at this place was when they were going to New Island where the supposed greatest trainer lived. Of course, it turned out to just be a ploy by Mewtwo in its plot to rid the world of mankind. Thanks to Ash's sacrifice, the hostile Pokemon's eyes were opened that showed there was some good in humans. It then left to an unknown place where it and the clones it made could live in peace, its parting words being it will help the group if the need ever arose. The group couldn't help but wonder where Mewtwo was and how it was doing right now.

"This place is so much calmer since the last time we were here," Misty commented.

"Yeah, but there isn't a massive storm here like the last time," Leaf reminded.

"I meant it's sort of strange. That was the only time we've ever been here, and it's such a huge change from then," Misty elaborated.

"You know, I almost wonder if New Island is still there. Do you think we will see it on the boat heading to the Orange Islands?" Leaf wondered out loud.

"I actually doubt it. It wouldn't surprise me if Mewtwo erased it completely when it brought us back here," Misty answered. Honestly, she and Leaf didn't really want to see the island again. It brought back to many unsettling memories.

The two girls then turned to where Serena was to see if she had any input. The honey blonde-haired girl had been oddly quiet since they had been staring at the ocean. The truth was she had many thoughts running through her head. She had just come back from the Pokemon Center after trading over here Nidorina for Fearow's pokeball. It appeared as if she were contemplating on letting it out so soon. Serena had promised herself she would, but the past with Fearow was still fresh in everyone's minds, including Fearow itself.

"Serena?" Leaf asked.

"I'm fine, Leaf. I'm just thinking about how my first real time with Fearow will be. I'd prefer it if everyone was here before I let it out, particularly Ash," Serena replied.

"Yeah. Those two have a lot of bad blood between them from what I could tell," Leaf said.

It was at that moment that one of the doors to the general store opened up behind the girls. They turned and saw Ash and Brock stepping out carrying many bags of groceries. Togepi and Pikachu were on Ash's shoulder. Ash seemed to be quite pleased with the amount of supplies they had while Brock looked somewhat annoyed. Why did they buy so much?

"Hey, girls! We're back!" Ash announced once he and Brock reached them.

"Uh huh," Brock grunted.

"This should last us until we reach Valencia Island," Ash continued.

"Wait. You two bought all of that for a ten hour trip?" Misty questioned as she raised one of her eyebrows.

"Of course! From what I heard, the boat we're going on won't be serving any decent meals so we have to eat snacks!" Ash reasoned.

"Yes, but this boat leaves in the evening so we'll be asleep for most of that time anyway!" Misty argued.

"That's what I tried to tell him, Misty, but we all know how Ash's stomach is," Brock piped up

"Well, you may not need that much to eat, but I do," Ash said.

"Oh really? Let's see what you bought then," Misty said as she went over to the bags the boys were holding and peaked in them.

"Chips, doughnuts, cookies. Those are fine if not a little overdoing it, and then…two frozen pizzas? Really?" Misty questioned as she looked at Ash incredulously. That was only the first two bags! She hadn't even looked at what Brock was carrying yet! This must be what happens when Ash is given grocery duties for the first time. Brock apparently didn't convince him enough about what was necessary and what wasn't.

"Okay. If we have any left over, at least this means we won't have to shop for a while. Besides, I think Togepi enjoyed its first shopping trip with its dad," Ash replied as he smiled at the baby Pokemon on his shoulder.

"Togeprriii!" Togepi chirped as it bounced up and down. It had gotten much better at balancing on Ash's shoulder recently. In fact, that was its preferred method of travel when it was with Ash. It seemed to be wanting to mimic its big brother, Pikachu. The yellow rodent still made sure to reach over and steady Togepi when it bounced to make sure an accident didn't happen.

"Don't worry, Ash. I'll help you finish off those snacks so nothing goes to waste!" Leaf told him.

"Great! If nobody else wants them, then that leaves more for us!" Ash grinned back.

"Whatever," Misty replied with a roll of her eyes. One would think Ash and Leaf really were twins sometimes.

"The boat doesn't leave for another hour so we'll have time to sort out all of this food before we leave," Brock said as the voice of reason, causing everyone to shrug their shoulders. In the end, it really wasn't that big of a deal.

"So Serena? Did you get Fearow's pokeball?" Ash asked as he set down the bags of groceries and began to sort through which ones were more practical. Serena could tell he was trying to sound interested, but there was a bit of hesitation in his voice.

"I have it, Ash, but don't worry. I don't think Fearow is going to attack you at first sight," Serena reassured before adding, "I won't let it."

"I know," Ash replied as he smiled at Serena, but he was still a little nervous.

Serena looked back at Fearow's pokeball one more time. All she had to do was prove to Fearow that they cared. They needed to show it that it was so much more than the trash it believed itself to be before. They could do this. Serena then took a deep breath and prepared herself.

"Okay. Come out, Fearow!" she called as she pressed the button to release it.

Upon hearing her command, everyone's attention immediately went to where Fearow would land. Serena and Ash stood in front of Togepi while Pikachu stood next to it, although Ash was a little further back.

The light materialized until it took the shape of Fearow, and the beak Pokemon opened its eyes and looked at its surroundings. It could see the group all looking at it in curiosity. Well, it seemed like Serena kept her promise to see it as soon as possible. It could see the black-haired boy watching it in a somewhat nervous fashion. Well, it wouldn't spoil things by attacking him. Fearow just ignored Ash as it set its eyes on Serena, wondering what her next move was.

"Hi, Fearow!" Serena said brightly. "Brock made some special Pokemon food. Would you like to try some?"

Brock. Wasn't he the other boy who helped it also when it was injured? He seemed to know a lot about how a Pokemon feels. Yes. It could eat food that was made by him.

"Brock makes really good food. His is probably some of the best you'll ever have in your life!" Serena added.

"Well, I don't know about that," Brock chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.

Fearow seemed to be thinking over what Serena said. Well, it was quite hungry at the moment. It hadn't eaten since Serena captured it several hours ago. It could definitely eat something. If Brock cooked as good as Serena said he did, there was nothing wrong with accepting any. It nodded its head.

"Great!" Serena replied upon seeing Fearow's nod.

She then reached into her backpack and pulled out some of the Pokemon food Brock had made for her. She got out a napkin and placed the napkin on the ground with the food on top. She then gave a smile and nod to it to show it could go ahead and try it. She then motioned for everyone to back away a little bit to give Fearow some space.

Once it saw that everyone was accepting its space, it leaned down towards the ground and began to eat. Its eyes then lit up in surprise. This stuff was actually pretty good! It hasn't had food this good in…well…its whole life!

"Hey. I'm glad you like it, Fearow. It's my best recipe for any bird Pokemon. All of them enjoy it so I made sure to save some for you now that you're a member of the team," Brock told it.

A member of the team. Yes. That's right. It now had a trainer. It was no longer by itself. The group really was considering it as one of them. Even so, it thought the same thing with the Spearow gang, and they were even one of its kind! Fearow thought it was one of them also, but it turned out to be a lie. Was this group lying to it, too? Then again, the Spearow gang never seemed to show care for each other, either.

As Fearow continued to eat, it saw out of the corner of its eye the Pikachu that belonged to the boy. It had ran up the boy's back and began to nuzzle his face which Ash laughed to and scratched it behind the ears. It then saw the baby Togepi hugging Serena's legs to which she packed it up and hugged it back. The affection that was being shown to the Pokemon before it reminded Fearow of what it didn't have before. It's why it wanted a trainer. It was so it could be loved, also. It started to have a few tears come to its eyes again.

"Fearow? What's wrong?" Serena asked in concern as she saw its tears.

"I don't think Fearow is used to being treated kindly so it might be a little overwhelming for it," Brock answered as he crossed his arms.

"Oh, Fearow. You don't have to worry. If I'm overwhelming you just let me know," Serena said in concern.

Fearow shook its head in response. It wanted its trainer to show it kindness. It's like that Brock person said, it just wasn't used to seeing something like that. It was just with two other Pokemon, too! Fearow didn't know what to expect when all of the group's Pokemon were out. It was probably acting a little pathetic, but it couldn't help itself.

"Poor Fearow," Leaf muttered as she watched.

Serena then took a step forward and slowly reached her hand out towards Fearow's head. She then rested it top of it and began to rub it. Fearow had more tears come to its eyes as it felt its trainer's soft touch. She was being so nice to it despite all the bad history between them. She really was sincere when she told it she was going to make sure it was never alone again.

The rest of the group smiled at the exchange. It seemed there would be hope for Fearow, after all.

* * *

The boat gave a loud whistle as it set sail for Valencia Island. It churned through the waters creating a few small waves as it went along. The group all stood at the edge of the boat as they watched the Kanto mainland grow further and further away. For Ash, Leaf, Brock, and Misty, this would be their first time truly out of the region of Kanto. Only Serena had been to another region, and that was when she lived in Kalos previously. It was rather exciting for them.

"Well, guys. It looks like this is the start of something new," Ash said as they watched.

"We aren't just going there to get a pokeball for Professor Oak?" Misty asked.

"Well, he also said that if we find something interesting that will help our training to go ahead and do it," Ash replied.

"Ah, so you kids are all Pokemon trainers then?" a voice came up behind them.

They spun around and saw a thin older man with a gray goatee. He head on an old sailor's uniform and appeared a little worn out, but he still had a kind smile on his face. The hat he was wearing clearly indicated he was the captain of the ship.

"Uh…yes. We are," Ash answered, wondering where the man was going with this.

"Forgive me. I wasn't trying to listen in. I just overheard as I like to check to make sure all my passengers are comfortable before I take over the ship. One of my crew is steering right now," the sailor said.

"Yes. We're fine. Thank you," Serena replied with a smile

"As I was saying, if you kids are focusing on training your Pokemon, the Orange Islands are a great place to go!" the captain told them.

"Really?" Ash inquired as he became interested. The rest of the group gave the captain their attention also.

"That's right. They have many water Pokemon tournaments there regularly," the captain replied.

"Water Pokemon tournaments?!" Misty exclaimed enthusiastically and clasped her hands together. "Oooooh! I would love to participate in one of those!"

"What else is there?" Ash wondered.

"Hahaha! Now I have your interest!" the ship captain laughed before continuing, "A thing that seems to have really taken off in the Orange Islands recently is Pokevision."

"Pokevision? What's that?" Serena asked.

"It's a special kind of promotional video that people use to show the bonds they have with their Pokemon. It actually came from the region of Kalos. A famous actress on vacation from Kalos was caught doing it, and pretty soon, more people wanted to try it," the sailor answered.

"Kalos? How did it become so popular all the way in the Orange Islands since they are a little isolated? That doesn't sound like something it would specialize in," Serena wondered as she thought about it.

"Well, the way I look at it, that's exactly why it's taken off there. You see, people in the Orange Islands don't really travel a whole lot. They typically stay at the island they grew up on and don't leave because all of the islands are spread apart so much. If someone is determined enough, the only way they can promote themselves and capture attention is by Pokevision," the captain elaborated.

"So are these videos played around the world?" Leaf asked.

"They can be. They are typically shown at the Pokemon Centers in the Orange Islands and Kalos, but I've heard several passengers who live in the Orange Islands say that they're trying to expand into the other regions like Kanto. It wouldn't surprise me if those videos are being shown in other areas within the next year," the sailor said.

"Videos that show the bonds you have with your Pokemon," Serena mused as she looked at her own pokeballs. She was always wanting to improve the relationship she had with her Pokemon. Sure, she loved every last one of them, but whenever she saw Ash and his Pokemon, she almost felt like she was missing something with hers. Maybe it was personal training sessions? She wasn't sure, but if these Pokevision videos were genuine, it would be a great way to bond with her Pokemon, particularly the newest member of her team, Fearow.

"The biggest thing right now in the Orange Islands, though, is the Orange League," the captain said, drawing attention back to him.

"The Orange League? Is that like the Indigo League?" Ash asked.

"Well, I guess you could call it that. It's a lot smaller than an actual Pokemon League, though. The way it works is that trainers go around battling a special group of four trainers known as the Orange Crew scattered across the archipelago. You could call them the Orange League equivalent of gym leaders, and they give out badges if you win against them," The captain explained.

"So what happens when you get all of the badges? Do you compete in a Pokemon League?" Leaf asked this time.

"It's sort of like a Pokemon League, but it's different at the same time. The gym leaders don't have your standard Pokemon battles, either. Being a smaller tournament, the Orange League is held once every six months rather than a year. Once trainers earn all badges from the Orange Crew, they will compete against each other in an elimination tournament at the Pummelo Stadium," the captain said.

"An elimination tournament?" Ash echoed.

"Yes. The winner gets to compete against the Orange League champion. If he or she wins, they have officially conquered the Orange League and win a commemorative trophy and plaque. They then have their names carved in the Orange Island Hall of Fame so they are always remembered," the captain finished.

Everyone, especially Ash, was interested now. They had no idea a place as small as the Orange Archipelago could have its own Pokemon League. The other four in the group gave a small smile at Ash with how fired up he appeared to be. He had been wanting to really start training his Pokemon to their best capabilities. Maybe a tournament like the Orange League would get him back on his feet and help out some.

"Wow. It sounds like you have to be really skilled to win in the Orange League," Misty commented.

"I know exactly what you're thinking, Misty," Ash said as he turned his hat backwards and put on a determined expression. "I have to challenge the Orange Crew and compete in the Orange League! There's no way I can pass up an opportunity like this!"

"Heheh. Yeah. That's exactly what I was thinking," Misty muttered with a sweat drop. Despite here words, she knew Ash would never back down from this type of challenge even if it wasn't what they were going to the Orange Islands for in the first place. She really had no room to talk, though. She wanted to see what this water Pokemon tournament was, and there was a certain red-haired boy she wanted to see.

"Well, I think I filled you kids in enough. I have to get to steering the boat. Enjoy the ride," the captain said with a nod before walking off.

As he left, the group had different thoughts running through their minds. Now the Orange Islands sounded more exciting than ever. There were so many things do there aside from the normal tourist attractions. They sounded like a great place to train and bond with your Pokemon, too. Still, the group couldn't help but start to feel a bit bad. Professor Oak was generous enough to pay for their trip here to retrieve the GS ball, and that seemed to be the furthest thing from their minds right now. They were about to lose sight of the mission. They had to make sure the GS ball was the top priority here and constantly check with Professor Oak to see what he thought of everything.

* * *

"Hey, Brocko. I'm heading outside the cabin to see Serena. It's been a while since we've had time with just the two of us," Ash called over his shoulder.

"No worries, Ash. I'll make sure to get Togepi to bed on time," Brock smiled back. "Pikachu, Togepi, and I will have a blast together!"

"Togepriiiii!" Togepi cried as it attempted to chase after Ash. Its short legs caused it to wobble horribly until it reached him

"It seems like someone doesn't want me to go, though," Ash muttered as he looked at Togepi hugging his leg affectionately. It really wanted to make Ash take it with him. Now that Ash thought of it, this would be one of the first times when Togepi was separated from both him and Serena. It would have its first babysitter. Still, Ash couldn't think of a better person to leave it with than Brock. Misty and Leaf were coming in a little bit, too. That would just add to the fun.

"Pika Pi. Pikachu," Pikachu said as it walked up to Togepi and rubbed its back.

Togepi turned around and had watery eyes that both of its parents wouldn't be here. It really was good at making Ash start to feel a little guilty. He knew Serena would, too, if she found out. Maybe they shouldn't have some alone time just yet as much as they wanted, too. Having a pseudo baby to take care of really complicated things like this.

"Hey, Togepi. If you really want me to stay, I can," Ash told it with warm smile.

"Togepriiii!" it cried again, though this time in a happy tone.

"In that case, who wants to take a ride on the Pokemon airplane!?" Brock started as he went over to Togepi and picked it up. He then held Togepi above his head and went quickly around the room making zooming noises.

Pikachu then ran over and began making tiny static bolts shoot from its cheeks that went up towards the ceiling.

"Oh no. It looks like a thunderstorm is coming! Pilot Togepi needs some evasive maneuvers!" Brock cried jokingly as he began to dip Togepi and twirl it through the air. The spikeball Pokemon began to laugh joyfully at the amount of fun it was having.

Brock and Pikachu then turned to Ash and gave slight nod at him to go on. The raven-haired boy was slightly grateful at the two for saving the day and keeping Togepi occupied. It would be just fine, and of course, he and Serena would be sure to make it up to Togepi in due time. Ash still wanted to be sure Togepi would be fine before he left.

"Are you alright with me going, Togepi?" Ash called to it as Brock continued to pretend like Togepi was flying in an airplane.

"Togepriiiiii!" it laughed again and showed no signs that it was upset.

It was that response that comforted Ash that everything would be fine. He sighed in contentment to himself before opening the cabin door and exiting into the small hallway.

* * *

As Ash made his way onto the deck, he smiled when he saw it was only Serena was out here. It would almost have ruined the mood if there were any other passengers out here. It was a good idea to come out here after nine o'clock. It also helped that it was a clear night with stars shining and the moon glowing above their heads. A few small lights around the boat lit up the ocean, showing the ripples it created as the boat moved along.

Serena was sitting alone at a table with a bottle of water and appearing to be in thought. Her look vanished the instant she saw Ash, however. She got up from the table and greeted him with a gentle hug around the neck and a light kiss on the cheek. Despite how happy she was they were finally going to spend time together, one thought plagued her mind.

"So how is Togepi managing without one of us there?" she asked.

"Honestly, I think it's going to be just fine. Brock and Pikachu were playing with it when I left. I don't even think it noticed me leave," Ash replied.

Serena's worry dissolved upon hearing that. Togepi had been their number one concern about whether they should spend time alone or not. The spikeball Pokemon was still very young and extremely dependent on Ash and Serena. It needed one of them around at all times. The fact that it was now able to at least have a babysitter when its "parents" weren't around proved that Togepi was growing up ever so slowly, just as Cubone had at first. It made both of them feel a lot better. They were doing a fine job at raising Togepi.

"So did you spend any more time with Fearow?" Ash asked, changing the subject.

"I did. I let it stretch its wings and fly next to the ship for about thirty minutes which it seemed to enjoy," Serena answered before adding, "I think you should have let Pidgeot fly with it. I know they don't have the best history, but I think the two may be able to bond quite well as being the bird Pokemon in our group."

"Hmm," Ash mused as he thought about Pidgeot. It was true Fearow didn't want anything to do with Ash right now, but his Pidgeot would get a chance to start anew. Next time Serena lets out her Fearow, he'll do the same with Pidgeot to at least see how it goes. Maybe one day after accepting his Pokemon, Fearow will accept him, too. It's not like it was jealous anymore.

"I think I will," Ash finally said as he and Serena turned back towards the ocean.

The two then walked over and watched the waters in silence. They were just enjoying each other's company at the moment. Ash spared a glance at Serena and couldn't help but think she looked really pretty right now. The ocean breeze flowing through her hair and the glow of the moon and small lights reflecting off of her only added to her beauty. Ash really enjoyed these moments when he could just stop and appreciate what a great girlfriend he had.

"So what do you want to do?" Serena asked as she broke the silence.

"I was thinking of what a great night this is. We also haven't danced together in a while. I think a dance under the stars would be appropriate," Ash said.

Serena smiled at Ash's suggestion. She was pleasantly surprised that it had been Ash and not her to come up with a suggestion like that. It seemed that now he was getting a little older that he was losing some of his denseness. She could remember at the start of their journey that a suggestion like this would never come out of his mouth. His idea of great time with Serena would be talking about Pokemon or having a Pokemon battle. As much as Serena loved Pokemon, too, it didn't exactly make for a romantic setting. Serena was about to accept Ash's proposal, but soon frowned.

"We don't have any music playing right now on the ship," she stated in a slightly disappointed tone.

"Then we can use our Pokegear to set the mood," Ash suggested as pulled the device out of his pocket.

"The Pokegear can play music like that?" Serena inquired as she raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't see why not. Brock told me it acts as full radio," Ash shrugged.

He then began to fiddle with the device as he tried to find where the radio was on it. Perhaps it wouldn't have hurt to read the manual for this thing. Ash finally found where to turn on the radio and pressed the button. As soon as it turned on, a happy, cheerful sound erupted from it, and it sounded like drums were beating and all kinds of strange sounds were being made. Ash and Serena both sweat dropped.

"Heheheh. I guess this must be the Pokemon March," Ash chuckled as he changed the station.

He then continued to change stations as he tried to find something that was slow. He went through talk shows and several happy beats. Finally, Ash smiled as he found the station he wanted. It was a slow tune that seemed to fit the starry sky and full moon perfectly. Ash turned up the volume just a little bit and set it down on the table before making his way over to Serena. He then held his hand out to her which she graciously accepted.

Ash then gently pulled Serena against his front before placing a hand on her back. Serena then wrapped her hands around Ash's neck as she stared lovingly into Ash's eyes. As the two began to slow dance, Serena had a blush creeping up her face. It seems that upon getting a girlfriend, Ash really stepped up his game when the time called for him to be romantic. He still had his slip ups every now and then, but if anything, Serena thought it was cute. Serena then rested her head on Ash's shoulder and closed her eyes so she could get lost in the moment.

"You know, I think this is the first dance we've actually had by ourselves when no one else was around, except for the one in the Big Riddle Inn's lobby," Ash commented after a moment of silence.

"Mmmhmm, but under the stars surrounded by the ocean is so much better," Serena mumbled back with her head still on Ash's shoulder.

"So what do think about heading to the Orange Islands?" Ash asked her, changing the subject.

"Well, I thought there would be a lot of things we could try while we were there if we ever have a chance to ourselves again," Serena replied.

"Like what?" Ash asked curiously. Despite knowing _how_ to be romantic, he still had trouble knowing _what_ is romantic. That was Serena's expertise.

"It doesn't necessarily have to be romantic," Serena said as if reading his thoughts. "There are supposed to be a lot of Pokemon shows in the Orange Islands and also the Pokevision like the captain told us. I bet there are also a lot of restaurants that serve food that no other place does. Those are good, too. I wouldn't want you to get bored of us just dancing or taking walks on the beach all the time."

"Heheheh. Good point," Ash replied. It was true that he loved spending time with Serena, but he was starting to run out of ideas already to keep their relationship fresh. Thankfully, the Orange Islands opened up more possibilities. He was sure more things would come to him later on.

The two continued to dance for a few more minutes until the music that was playing had stopped. Ash and Serena then pulled two chairs from the table Serena was at earlier towards the edge of the boat. They then sat in the chairs and opted for watching the wide ocean view together. It had a nice glow to it.

After a few minutes, Serena leaned her head on Ash's shoulder once more and grabbed his arm for support. She then snuggled up next to him to get more comfortable before sighing in contentment.

For Ash, however, his thoughts were starting to wander. Despite how relaxed he felt, he suddenly found himself thinking about that weird dream he had yesterday. He knew his dad told him not to, but it was still too fresh in his head to forget about so soon…no. He couldn't think about this. This was a time for just Serena and him! There was no way he was going to let this night with her be ruined. They are just relaxing! Why is he even thinking about this to begin with?! Ash forcefully pushed the dream from his mind before leaning his head over Serena's.

Upon feeling Ash's head rest upon hers, Serena let out a blissful smile. She unknowingly tightened her grip on Ash's arm. It wasn't for a strange reason, she just felt so happy and having a firm grip on Ash's arm made her feel so secure. That was until she felt Ash flinch.

She looked up at Ash and saw he was wearing a normal expression on his face which showed that nothing could be wrong. Still, what was with that flinch? She hadn't hugged him that hard.

"Ash?" she questioned.

Ash, meanwhile, mentally kicked himself. Here he was, having a great evening with Serena, but she had have his arm in a tight grip while he was still thinking about his dream. The truth was it reminded him too much of their positions when they were facing the clouded figure. The fact that Serena had his arm in a tight grip only made him think about when she was absolutely terrified, and he involuntarily flinched at that. Normally, it would have no effect, but right now, it did. He immediately tried to hide it, but Serena saying his name clearly meant she felt something off. He didn't think this would spoil anything, but Serena would still want to know if something was bothering him. Great.

"It was just something stupid. Sorry if I startled you any," Ash replied with a reassuring smile.

"I think it was me who startled you. Did I squeeze your arm too hard?" Serena asked with just a bit of hesitation.

"No. You were fine. It was all me," Ash answered and then mentally kicked himself again. With that kind of answer, Serena really would know something was up.

"Ash, I believe you when you said it wasn't anything I did, but is something bothering you?" Serena wondered as she looked at him with slight worry.

Ash let out a sigh. The truth was it shouldn't be. He felt really stupid all of the sudden. Despite this, he knew if he told her it was nothing again, he would be lying to her. The fact was the dream had now come to the surface of his mind now that he was being asked about it. Still, if he told Serena, that would be completely going against what Red told him. Why should he worry her with some stupid dream he had?

"I just had a bad dream yesterday, and for some reason, it came to my mind. I don't know why. Sorry to worry you," Ash smiled again, hoping that was the end of it and they could move on. That was until Serena said her next sentence.

"I had a bad dream last night, too," Serena replied.

Ash snapped his head back in Serena's direction and saw her fixing him with a firm gaze. Wait a second. She had a bad dream, too? That was just some weird coincidence.

"What was it about?" Ash asked her.

"You first. You're the one who started this," Serena told him.

Ash decided there was no point in starting a quibble over something that probably had no meaning. They could go ahead and share their bad dreams and then continue having a great evening together. He looked away before starting his account of the dream.

"Heh. You're probably going to laugh or think something like this is really out there," Ash said to relieve some of the tension.

"That's okay," Serena reassured.

"Well, it started off great. I was dreaming I had won the Pokemon League. You and Leaf, Brock, Gary, and Misty were all there. So were my parents and Uncle Riley. I had all of my Pokemon around me, and I felt so excited for all of us. Then everything changed. These weird storm clouds rolled in," Ash began before turning back to Serena to see if there was some sort of reaction from her.

To be honest, the expression on Serena's face surprised Ash. He was expecting a raised eyebrow, curiosity, confusion, but what he wasn't expecting was a look of alarm on Serena's face. What was it in his dream that triggered that?

"Storm clouds? Like the scary black ones?" Serena asked, confirming what it was.

"Uh, yeah. Then this really weird thing appeared out of nowhere and stated laughing. It was probably the most evil laugh I ever heard in my life. Not even Giovanni compared to it," Ash continued, but stopped when he felt Serena stumble a little bit.

Ash turned and saw her facing away from him. She looked to be in a lot of thought right now. He hadn't even gotten to the weirdest part of his dream yet! He certainly wasn't expecting his dream to have such an impact on her. Wait. She said that she had a bad dream last night. It couldn't be, could it?

"Serena, are you okay?" Ash asked slowly.

"Ash, there was a really evil clouded figure in my dream, too," she said with bit of fear.

Ash didn't think his eyes could open any wider after that. Serena was having a similar dream to him. That instantly made his thoughts start to go wild. Did this mean that this dream really was going to come true? Did an evil figure like that really exist? This was getting a little freaky. Ash almost forgot what he was supposed to be doing with Serena as he gave her his full attention now.

"What did that thing do in your dream?" Ash almost demanded.

Serena initially appeared surprised by Ash's tone, but she answered him nonetheless. "At first, I was having such a good time. All my friends were there. I think I might have even been doing Pokemon performing, and then the figure appeared, and I was so afraid of it, and I don't know why."

"In the dream I had, you were really afraid of it, also," Ash told her, trying to soften his tone a little.

"The worst part was that it blasted all of my friends with some kind of blue energy, and it killed you right in front of me, and I was unable to save you," Serena continued as her eyes watered. "I didn't do anything. I just watched."

Ash frowned at that. There was nobody who was killed in the dream he had. Everyone was in danger, but they were still alive and well. It was kind of uneasy to learn that he was the one who was killed in her dream. Was it because he was closest to her, or because of something else?

"That's not even the worst part," Serena said as she began to cry. "After that thing…killed you, it looked at me, and then all of my fear disappeared. It was replaced by calmness. It wasn't…the comforting kind at all, though. It then said something really strange."

"Did it say the world was dying?" Ash asked after a slight pause.

Serena's teary eyes looked up at Ash as she nodded her head. "That's exactly what it said. How did you know?"

"As I just told you, I had a similar dream with what was most likely the same figure," Ash said.

"At first I just brushed it off as some bad dream. Now that I know you had it, I'm a little scared," Serena told him.

Ash didn't really know what to think right now. He knew that his dad told him not to tell anyone, but maybe it was good to tell Serena. The fact that she had the same dream had to mean something. Red had said to Ash that if it was a possible symbolization of something that was to happen, it would be because his aura allowed it. As Ash thought about, Serena had psychic abilities hidden just like he had with aura. Those would allow her to have prophetic dreams, too. Should he tell his dad this? No. Not quite yet.

"Ash, why would I be so scared of something, and then all of the sudden be calmed by it," Serena asked in confusion.

"I-I really don't know," Ash admitted. "Do you know anything like that?"

Serena wracked her brain as to anything that could make sense of what was in her dream, but she came up short. It was the most evil thing she ever experienced in a dream or life, and why did it seem to take an interest in her? Why was she calm at the end? It didn't make sense!

Ash sighed as he saw Serena was getting quite distressed about this topic. The truth was he was getting downed, as well. This was supposed to be a relaxing night with Serena, and they were anything but that right now. It looked like they had talked about this long enough. They know they shared the same dream, but now it might be time to put it behind them for the time being. It's as his dad said, none of this had happened yet. Ash then reached over and gently brushed a few tears out of her eyes before saying his next sentence.

"Hey, Serena. Don't worry about what I asked. I don't want you to think about this anymore," he said soothingly. "I know it's my fault that I brought it up, but I don't like seeing you upset like this."

"We had the same dream, though. It has to mean something," Serena said as she tried to dry a few tears of her own.

"I know, but I spoke with my dad about this yesterday after I had the dream. He told me that if this dream were to come true, it wouldn't happen until everything there happened. There were people I didn't even know in my dream, and I had even won a Pokemon League!" Ash told her.

"Yeah, and I was doing Pokemon Performing…I think," Serena muttered

"See. That's what I mean. This is a long way away from ever coming true so let's not worry about it," Ash said as he reached over and gave her a hug of comfort this time.

Serena welcomed it and hugged Ash back. Maybe he was right. It would be for the best if they didn't think about it. There were some parts of the dream that didn't make sense like why she didn't try to save Ash or why she felt calm at the end. Serena knew she would just worry herself more and hurt her head trying to think about it so much. For now, though, she would enjoy herself and stay by Ash no matter what. Everything would be okay in the end.

Ash was glad that Serena was feeling better now. That conversation was taking a very dangerous turn. He and Serena were getting so worked up over something that obviously wasn't going to happen anytime soon. For now, they should just follow Red's advice and not think about anymore unless necessary. Despite this, he still learned some valuable information about Serena having a similar dream to him. With that in mind, Ash still wondered if the dream were to ever happened, would he be prepared for it? Would Serena? Anyone?

He hoped so.

* * *

 **That's the last mention of the dreams Ash and Serena had for a while. I've given you all something to chew on for a while until it's brought up next when more hints are revealed. There is A LOT of background to cover with this which is why I started it quite early in the series.**

 **So far, the polls are pretty one sided. There are substantially more guys than girls who read this story. That isn't a bad thing of course, but it does make me wonder what makes this story appealing to everyone. Hey! That could be my idea for the next poll!**

 **Next chapter will be up on July 5. The real story will finally begin as they land on the Orange Islands! See you all then! Live long and prosper!**

 **Chapter 5: Professor Ivy and the GS Ball**

 **Answering the Questions (Slight Spoilers)**

 _Will Ash get his Lapras and/or Snorlax differently from the main canon?_

 ** _A little bit different_**

 _Will Ash and the crew be switching pokemon regularly?_

 ** _As stated before, yes._**

 _Will any of Brock or Misty's Pokemon evolve?_

 ** _If you mean in this arc, then no._**

 _Will ash catch an orange island shiny pokemon?_

 ** _No._**

 _Will The Crystal Onix be showing up in this story?_

 ** _No._**

 _How many evolutions will be in this arc?  
_

 ** _Maybe 1 or 2 besides Pidgeot. I haven't fully decided yet.  
_**

 _Will Serena have something to do whilst Ash does the Orange League?_

 ** _Yes._**

 _Will there be a rival for Ash in the Orange Islands?_

 ** _No. The Orange Islands are too short to form an appropriate rival._**

 _Will Lawrence the Third have more depth in terms of characters to him?_

 ** _One of my goals when I do the Power of One is to give that to him._**

 _Also do you expect for Serena to use her psychic powers again and ash use his aura powers this arc ?_

 ** _Maybe._**

 _Will fearow and scyther ever learn to not hate ash?  
_

 ** _Not anytime soon._**

 _Will Fearow start trusting Serena straight away or will it be hard work?_

 ** _It is slightly hesitant at first like this chapter shows, but it will warm up to her and everyone...even Ash...eventually._**

 _Will Ash ever get a Pokemon that hates Serena?  
_

 ** _Yes, but I won't say when._**

 _When did Togepi stop being fed from a bottle?_

 ** _There wasn't really a specific time I stated when it did. I just feel it's old enough to where it doesn't need it anymore._**

 _When will Snorlax appear?_

 ** _Later on this arc._**

 _Will Melody be jealous of Ash and Serena's relationship?  
_

 ** _Hmmm...I'd rather not answer that yet._**

 _Will Syther and Fearow have anti Ash moments together?_

 ** _Yeah. I have a few anti Ash moments with them lined up._**

 _Will there be battling in your version of performances?_

 ** _Haven't decided yet._**

 _Will the GS Ball do anything?_

 ** _As stated many times before, YES!_**

 _Will Tracey get anything new besides scyther?_

 ** _I haven't thought of an extra Pokemon for him to get yet, but it may happen._**

 _When will Leaf separate from the group after visiting Professor Ivy about the G.S. ball?_

 ** _After the water Pokemon tournament midway through the arc._**

 _Will Ash still behave like he did in the canon when he goes for his first badge in the Orange Island when the kid insults him?_

 ** _Well, sort of. You'll just have to see their meeting and decide for yourself._**

 _During your writing of the movie Pokémon Power of One, will you include the Pikachu's Rescue Adventure?_

 ** _I haven't planned to yet._**

 _Is Rudy going to be crazy hitting on Misty, like in canon?_

 ** _I don't think of it as "crazy hitting" like Brock does. I didn't even see it like that in canon. He will be formal and Misty likes him back already._**

 _Will Serena be able reading other Pokémon thoughts in this arc?_

 ** _Maybe._**

 _Will Luana still mistake Ash for her son Travis?_

 ** _I don't know yet. I haven't ever really considered that minor detail as necessary. We'll see._**

 _Are you planning to write your own version of The Stun Spore Detour?_

 ** _I'm on the fence about that one. It can create some good amour moments, but in the end, besides Misty getting Poliwag, it's just filler._**


	5. Professor Ivy and the GS Ball

**A/N: Let's face it. We all know what this chapter is about and what happens in it. That said, I believe I changed enough things around in here so it still feels like a fresh read and not a repeat of a canon episode. I'm proud of this chapter, and hopefully you all enjoy it, too.  
**

 **P.S.: The most recent episode of XY was excellent! Serena won her first showcase, Miette returned, and there were a plethora of hints! And in the previews for the upcoming episodes...no...it can't be...is ASH ACTUALLY HOLDING SERENA!?**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Professor Ivy and the GS Ball

"Attention, passengers! We will be arriving at Valencia Island within the next few minutes. If you brought anything aboard the boat, please make sure to take it with you! Thank you, and have a nice day!" the voice of the captain spoke over an intercom.

The group ran towards the boat's railing and eagerly looked over. They could spot a rather large island approaching quite fast. It appeared to be around the size of Cinnabar Island, maybe a little bit bigger. It was there that the mysterious pokeball was residing at Professor Ivy's lab. They would make sure to retrieve the pokeball there before doing anything else. It would also be interesting to see what kind of research lab Professor Ivy had. There were so many events they were looking forward to, also.

"I can't wait to see all the different types of Pokemon that live on a tropical island!" Leaf said in excitement. She was leaning over the railing further than anyone else, and Ash had to pull her back to make sure she didn't topple into the ocean below.

"And the beautiful girls on the beach in swimsuits," Brock muttered with a red face, but he immediately shut up when he felt Kabuto's pokeball wiggle.

Ash turned away from helping Leaf towards Brock. This guy was completely girl crazy, and as such, could never seem to settle on one. He often said he wanted to be a one-woman man, but there were three perfect girls for him: Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, and Suzy. He couldn't decide between them. Ash, as well as the others, often wondered what it would take for Brock to make up his mind on someone. He deserved to be happy, but his pick-up lines and advances only seemed to push the girls away.

"Don't worry, Brock. I'm sure there are plenty of girls there," Serena said with a sweat drop.

"Don't encourage him, Serena!" Misty exclaimed.

"I wasn't. I was just stating a fact. He's going to be all over the beach fawning over girls sooner or later so we need to be prepared to pull him away in time so he doesn't get arrested," Serena replied.

"Brock wouldn't care. It would be an Officer Jenny arresting him," Misty whispered. Upon seeing the look Serena was giving her, Misty gave a nervous chuckle. "Eheheh. I was half-joking."

"Only half?" Serena questioned, but she was a little amused herself.

"Poor Brock," Leaf giggled.

Despite the girls teasing him, Brock didn't seem to mind. He knew it was all in good fun, and they would never hurt his feelings that way. Still, he knew there was truth to what they said. He was girl crazy and could never seem to decide on a suitable girl for him. He was so flighty and only ended up offending most girls he hit on. It would be great to settle down with one. It was as Brock told Ash a couple of days ago, if he could find a place where he could learn about Pokemon every day that had a beautiful woman to go along with it, it would be paradise.

* * *

As the group stepped off the boat and onto dry land, they took a good look at their surroundings. This island seemed to have a small town to go along with it, but the population seemed to be nothing compared to Cinnabar Island. This place had more of a nature-like feel to it. That may be in part to research laboratory located here. It needed more space for Pokemon like Professor Oak's ranch back in Pallet Town.

"So I guess we should head on over to Professor Ivy's lab," Ash suggested, to which the rest of them nodded.

"So do any of you know where it is?" the whole group asked at once. Upon learning the answer from their collective question, they and Pikachu all let out a sigh.

"I guess we'll just have to search for it," Misty shrugged.

"This island has to have a Pokemon Center due to the research lab. They are always easy enough to find. I say we go there and ask for directions," Brock figured.

The rest of the group agreed as they set off. As they walked along, they couldn't help but feel how different of a climate this place was compared to Kanto. They were all thankful they had on lighter clothing for this trip. Well, all of them had lighter clothing except for one person.

"Man, this humidity is really something," Ash muttered as he tugged at his shirt collar to let out some heat.

"Well, Ash. You can't say I didn't warn you. I'd be hot, too, if I were still wearing my vest," Brock told him.

"Maybe I could at least take off my jacket," Ash said as he unzipped the clothing and slipped it off.

Ash then folded the jacket up and immediately began fanning himself with it. Unfortunately, upon taking off his jacket, Ash revealed he had become the victim of pit stains on his black shirt. The rest of the group grimaced while Pikachu got a disgusted look on its face before hopping off of Ash's shoulder. It would prefer to walk than get its trainer's sweat all over it. Serena herself was glad she was the one carrying Togepi right now rather than Ash.

"Oh, come on! I'll put on some deodorant when we get to the Pokemon Center!" Ash yelled in aggravation when he saw the others had taken a step away from him. It would probably be a good idea to keep his sleeveless jacket in his backpack while they were in the Orange Archipelago.

"Sounds good because there it is right there," Misty pointed.

The group followed her finger and saw the building with a huge pokeball on top of it not too far away. That was always the defining feature of every Pokemon Center so it could be an easy find for all trainers. It was made with different material than the ones in Kanto, however. Rather than all brick, this one seemed to be made out of bamboo in parts to match the environment. As they approached the building, they couldn't help but wonder if any Nurse Joys worked in these centers, also.

They soon got their answer as they stepped in the building. Sure enough, not too far away from the entrance, was a front desk where a Nurse Joy was at, and even a Chansey! Despite being a little bit more tanned, she looked just like all of the others the group has encountered so far.

"Some things just never change," Serena commented in amusement, voicing the other's thoughts.

"Hello. Welcome to our Pokemon Center," Nurse Joy greeted warmly.

"And hello to you, too! It's a pleasure to meet you! Are you by chance related to any Nurse Joys in the Kanto region?!" Brock exclaimed as he immediately went over to Nurse Joy and leaned over the desk until he was in her face. It seemed he temporarily forgot about his previous thoughts.

"Well, let's see. I'm the second cousin of the cousin of the Joy in Saffron City. Have you been there before?" Nurse Joy asked, not seeming to yet notice Brock hitting on her.

"Of course! It's not as beautiful as you, though!" Brock replied until he felt a shooting pain in his back.

Kabuto had stabbed Brock with its claw and shook its head as he fell to the ground. Its trainer had been doing so well lately, but he seemed to be relapsing. Well, that's what it was here for: to keep its trainer under control. There was sort of an irony that it was Kabuto who seemed to be taming Brock when it was supposed to be the prehistoric Pokemon whom not too many people knew about.

"Yeah. Serena's right. Some things do never change," Misty muttered as she grabbed Brock by the ear and dragged him across the floor away from Nurse Joy.

"Hi, Nurse Joy. I was wondering if you could tell us where Professor Ivy's Pokemon lab was at," Serena said as she, Togepi, and Leaf went up to the desk. Ash and Pikachu had already gone to the bathroom to take care of his problem.

"It's no trouble at all," Nurse Joy replied kindly before giving them directions.

Brock sat up from his earlier assault and let out a sigh. Yes, as expected, this group of islands was going to be full of Nurse Joys, too. That meant there were also going to be Officer Jennys roaming around. If he truly wanted to try to settle down, he needed to control himself. There may truly be someone out there waiting for him.

* * *

The group soon found themselves in front of a large building. According to Nurse Joy's directions, this had to be it. It fit the description of a Pokemon lab in any case. It was a bit smaller than Professor Oak's lab, though. The question is what do they do now?

"Uh…I don't see a doorbell. Are we supposed to just walk in?" Ash wondered.

"I don't know. I would feel kind of rude doing so. We always made sure to knock before going in Professor Oak's lab, and he even knew us," Leaf replied a little unsurely.

The group thought for a moment. The door was made of glass so knocking on it didn't seem like the best idea in the world, either. Were they supposed to wait all day until someone noticed they were here? Certainly not. Ash cupped his hands over his mouth and let out a shout.

"Helloooooooooo!" Ash called, not knowing what else to do.

It must have worked. A few seconds later, the group saw shadows approaching from the other side. One of the double doors swung open, and the group was greeted by three nerdy-looking teenagers.

It was clear they were sisters with how similar they looked. The three were rather short, only about the size of Ash, Leaf, and Serena despite being older. They all wore very large round glasses and dressed in short sleeved shirts with tropical designs on them and shorts. The only difference between the girls appeared to be their hair. Two had the exact same hairstyle, but one was auburn while the other was almost black. The last one wore her hair in pigtails that were red in color.

"Hello," one spoke in a nasally voice.

"What are you all…," one started.

"…doing here?" the last one finished.

The group all had a strange smile on their faces. These three even sounded the same and finished their sentences for each other. Were they linked telepathically or something to be able to do that? It was rather weird. Despite that, they still decided to state their business of coming here.

"Hi there. We were all wondering if we could speak to Professor Ivy," Ash greeted.

"Really?" one asked.

"Why do you…," one started again.

"…need to see her?" the last one finished like last time.

The group sweat dropped at the threes' antics but answered them nonetheless. Did they always do that? If the group didn't know better, they would've thought the triplets we're robots.

"Well, I'm Serena. That's Ash. That's Leaf. That's Brock, and that's Misty," Serena introduced as she gestured to each person she named. She then continued, "We needed to see Professor Ivy so we could get this mysterious pokeball from her. Professor Oak sent us."

"Ah! So you're with Professor Oak! Professor Ivy's out back with the Pokemon. By the way, I'm Charity," said the auburn-haired one.

"I'm Hope," said the one in pigtails.

"And I'm Faith," the last one introduced.

"We're Professor Ivy's assistants!" they all said at the same time.

"Charity, Hope, and Faith," Misty smirked in amusement that the triplets were named after the three theological virtues.

"We'll take you to Professor Ivy right away! Follow us!" the triplets told the group as they turned around and gestured for them to come in.

The group shrugged as they followed the three inside. They were a little strange but seemed to be nice. They would also have to be good with Pokemon if they worked here. Brock had a slightly different opinion about the triplets, however. They almost reminded him of a few of his younger siblings. They liked to finish each other's sentences a lot, too, and were on the same wavelength more often than not. It sort of amused him.

Once the group made their way outside from the back part of Professor Ivy's lab, they let out a gasp. They couldn't believe how expansive everything was back here! For what the lab lacked in size, it more than made up for the amount of land back here. It was easily larger than Professor Oak's ranch. The lab looked over a large cliff with several pathways leading downward and many groups of trees to go along with them. Down below was a long beach and the sparkling ocean.

"Does all of this land belong to Professor Ivy?" Leaf asked in amazement.

"It sure does!" Charity stated proudly.

"We need all of this extra land because of all the different types of Pokemon that live here," Hope added.

"We breed and study a lot of them!" Faith finished.

The group nodded their heads to that. As they continued further down to where Professor Ivy presumably was, they couldn't help but admire the scenery. It was so beautiful here, and the view was incredible. It would be really nice to live here and study Pokemon every day. The last part, however, was thought mostly by Brock. The triplets said that they breed a lot of Pokemon here. Being a breeder himself, Brock thought that was pretty interesting. He hoped to be able to see this in action while they were here.

It wasn't long before the group arrived at the bottom of the cliff. The beach and ocean looked even more expansive down where they were than it did from the top. Despite this, they didn't see Professor Ivy anywhere. Charity, Hope, and Faith did say that she was down here, right? They soon got their answer as the triplets walked to the shoreline and cupped their hands over their mouths.

"Professor Ivy! We've got some visitors for you!" they all shouted at once.

The group looked around for any sign of the Pokemon Professor. Okay. She was clearly out there in the ocean somewhere, but if she was underwater, how would she hear the triplets calling out to her. Well, they did yell quite loud, but still. After a while of no response, the assistants turned around and smiled apologetically at the group.

"Sorry about that," Faith said.

"Professor Ivy is probably studying the Pokemon down there and can't hear us," Charity stated.

"Don't worry. She should be back up in a few minutes," Hope reassured.

The group smiled in understanding and took this time to gather their thoughts. So Professor Ivy still actively studied any Pokemon that was here and even went on underwater explorations with them. She was obviously still quite young if she was able to do that. Poor Professor Oak was getting old and couldn't really explore like he could in his younger days. That's when more Pokemon Professors rise up and take on that roll. Then the cycle repeats itself.

"So how long have you three been Professor Ivy's assistants?" Serena asked the triplets, trying to make conversation.

"Almost seven years now, ever since we were little girls!" Charity answered enthusiastically.

"Professor Ivy's been like a mother to us!" Faith continued.

"Oh. How nice. Professor Ivy sounds like a very nice woman," Leaf smiled.

"She is! There's no one we would rather work for and live with than her!" Hope replied.

 _"Hmm…a motherly figure,"_ Brock thought.

It was clear that the way the triplets were talking about Professor Ivy that she was the main parenting figure in their lives. The group had no idea who where their real parents were, but that was none of their business, and they had no right to pry. Brock soon felt a stab of sympathy for them. The three didn't seem to mind whatever situation they had, though, whatever it was. The group should just take it in stride and not think into it too much.

They all soon heard the sound of water being disturbed beside them. The turned to the side and soon saw a Gyarados erupt from the waters with a powerful roar. Initially startled, everyone except for the triplets jumped in surprise. It was then they saw someone riding it and wearing a breathing tube.

"Hey there, Professor Ivy! We have some visitors for you!" the triplets shouted again.

The person atop the Gyarados seemed to hear them as she nodded and took the device off of her face. She then pointed towards the shoreline. The Gyarados nodded its head and soon sped the short distance to where the group was. As they watched, they couldn't help but be reminded of the time Misty saved them from the ocean when her Magikarp first evolved. It was always rather impressive to see someone ride something like a Gyarados and be able to tame it. Misty herself glanced at the pokeball of her own Gyarados and smiled.

Once it was close enough, the woman leaped off the back of the Gyarados and landed on the beach on one knee. She then stood up and smiled at the group, and that's when they could make out her full features. She was rather young as they thought…probably early thirties. She had shoulder-length purple hair that seemed to spike at the end and was rather slender. Her eyes seemed to have a tired look to them, though.

"Please to meet all of you. I'm Professor Ivy," she greeted warmly as Charity brought her lab coat over which she put on over her bathing suit.

Brock stared dumbfounded at the woman before him. She was Professor Ivy?! Dang! He couldn't help himself as he turned red, but quickly shook the blush away. Despite this, he still couldn't help but smile in a slightly goofy fashion.

 _"Helloooooooo, Professor Ivy,"_ he thought.

"It's nice to meet you, too!" Ash replied as he went over and held out his hand for her to shake, which she did. "My name's Ash Ketchum! That's Serena, Leaf, Misty, and…"

"My name's Brock!" the dark skinned teen interrupted with a shout. "It's really great to meet you!"

"The pleasure's all mine," Professor Ivy smiled despite Brock's outburst.

"Hey, Brock. Are you going to be okay?" Ash asked once they all saw Brock's expression. They were used to Brock's goofy expressions around girls, but this one seemed a little different.

"Would you like to lie down? There are plenty of places to relax in my lab," Professor Ivy offered.

 _"Beautiful and so nice to boot! Pinch me! I'm dreaming!"_ Brock's mind screamed as his heart hammered in his chest. He then gave a mighty shake and finally managed to compose himself.

"Thank you, but I feel just fine. There is no need," he replied, although his posture was still a little stiff.

"Alright then," Professor Ivy nodded before turning back to the rest of the group. "So what can I do for all of you?"

"We're friends of Professor Oak, and we came here to get a strange pokeball for him that he said you had," Ash answered.

"Ah, yes! Of course! Professor Oak did tell me that he was sending over a group of children to pick it up. Follow me," Professor Ivy said as she turned and began walking back to her lab, the others behind her.

"She seems like quite the water Pokemon trainer. I could learn a few things from her," Misty whispered the group.

"Yeah. She handles all of her Pokemon with such care," Charity confirmed, apparently hearing what Misty said.

"I wish she would train me," Brock mumbled.

Ash, Pikachu, Togepi, Serena, Misty, and Leaf all snapped their heads in Brock's direction and gave him a look of surprise. What on earth did he mean by that?! They sure hoped the triplets or Professor Ivy didn't hear that! Judging by the fact they were still walking ahead like nothing was wrong, they clearly hadn't.

"Uh, never mind. Sorry. That came out a little wrong," Brock whispered as he rubbed his head in embarrassment. Weird. He didn't feel Kabuto's pokeball wiggle this time in warning.

* * *

Once the group made it back to Professor Ivy's lab, they were led into a large room. It had a massive computer in it which was probably the main one Professor Ivy used for her research. It also had a transporter on one side of the room. None of these were the main focus of the group, however. It was the lone item sitting on a table under a glass dome, the mysterious pokeball.

"Well, here it is," Professor Ivy announced as she and the triplets walked over to it. Upon seeing the group wasn't following her, she let out a light laugh. "You can come closer, you know. It isn't like the pokeball is going to blow up."

The group took Professor Ivy's advice and made their way over, also. Pikachu and Togepi got on the table to get a better look. Charity then pressed a button on the side of the table, and the small glass dome encasing the strange pokeball slid open.

The group could immediately tell it wasn't a normal pokeball. It looked like one as far as the design goes, but it was an entirely different color, While most pokeballs were red on top and white on bottom, this one was gold on top and silver at the bottom. There was also a strange engraving of what looked vaguely like letters on the top part of it.

"For simplicity, I decided to name it the GS ball," Professor Ivy told them.

"The GS ball," Ash echoed as he studied it.

"Right. I got it from those markings on the pokeball. If you look closely, they almost look like the letters 'G' and 'S'," Professor Ivy explained.

"That sounds like an appropriate name," Serena mused. "GS could also stand for 'Gold' and 'Silver' to represent the colors of the pokeball."

"That's also one way to look at it. That may be why those markings are on there in the first place," Professor Ivy agreed.

"So you said that it won't transport?" Leaf asked.

"It won't," Charity frowned with shake of her head.

"Watch. We'll demonstrate for you," Hope said as she picked up the GS ball and brought to a nearby transporter. She then placed it directly in the center of the device and pulled a switch. The electricity to transport the pokeball came out and struck it, as usual, but when it was done, the pokeball was still there.

The group stared with surprise on their faces. That definitely wasn't normal, and it wasn't because of a faulty transporter machine, either. That was definitely something to do with the GS ball.

"Have you all tried to open it?" Misty asked as they turned back to Professor Ivy.

"Many times, and we've tried many things," Professor Ivy sighed along with the triplets. "We've tried hammers, crowbars, chainsaws, hacksaws, power drills, and even lasers. Nothing works."

"Seriously?!" Ash exclaimed as they turned once more to look at the pokeball. What was up with this thing?!

"Yes. We've had no luck with it at all. That's why we decided to pass it on to Professor Oak. He has a lot more experience than any of us and will probably have better luck," Professor Ivy said.

"I see," Ash muttered as he continued to stare at the strange colored pokeball.

"Pikachu," Pikachu stated as it went over to the GS ball and took a quick sniff at it. The yellow rodent figured if there was a Pokemon inside, it would be able to detect its scent. After inspecting the ball itself, it got a questioning look on its face and shrugged its shoulders. It felt like there might be something inside of it, but there was no smell so it was really confused. Even its expert nose couldn't find anything out!

"No luck, huh, buddy?" Ash figured.

"Chuuu," Pikachu shook its head.

"My brain hurts already trying to figure this thing out," Misty groaned.

"I would've loved to figure out its secrets myself, but we're all completely stumped," Professor Ivy sighed again.

"Well, this explains why Professor Oak was so interested in it. He loves to solve puzzles like this," Leaf commented.

Professor Ivy then walked over and took the GS ball off the table and presented to Ash. "Here it is, Ash. The GS ball. Make sure to take good care of it and get it to Professor Oak safely," she told him.

"I will. You can count on me!" Ash stated with a nod as he took it.

This was it. This was the reason they had come to the Orange Islands. They had accomplished their main goal for being here.

"I think it would be a good idea to give Professor Oak a call and let him know we got the GS ball," Serena suggested, receiving a nod from the others.

"Of course. You can use the phone in here," Professor Ivy smiled as she led them to the next room where a video phone was.

Ash sat down in the seat and dialed the number to Professor Oak's lab while the others crowded around him. The phone only rang for a couple of times before Professor Oak's face appeared on the other end. Upon seeing who it was, he let out a smile.

"Hey, Professor Oak! Guess what?!" Ash grinned.

"Ah, Ash! What is it?" the elderly professor asked, though he already knew what the answer was.

"Professor Ivy gave me something for you! It's right here!" Ash told him as he brought the GS ball into view for Professor Oak to see.

"Hmmm…so that's the mysterious pokeball, eh?" Professor Oak inquired with interest.

"Yep! Professor Ivy calls it the GS ball because of its colors and the markings on the pokeball," Ash explained.

"A GS ball," Professor Oak mused as he folded his arms.

"That's right," Professor Ivy interjected as Ash handed her the phone so she could talk to the professor.

"Ah! Felina! How are you?" Professor Oak.

"I'm doing very well, Samuel. I can't remember the last time I had a conversation with you," Professor Ivy replied.

The group couldn't help but tilt their heads in curiosity with the familiarity between the two professors. They even called each other by their first names. It was a little weird to hear them addressed like that. It probably just came with them both being Pokemon researchers.

"I recently read your preliminary report in Pokemon researcher's monthly on Pokemon adaptive variation as a function of regional distribution, and I found it quite persuasive," Professor Oak told her.

"Thank you! I also found your article on challenges facing Pokemon global habitation to be absolutely fascinating, as well!" Professor Ivy replied.

"I'm pleased you found it intriguing," Professor Oak smiled.

"Uhhhh…," Ash uttered as he and the others let out a sweat drop. They had no idea what any of these two were talking about.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I guess we got carried away!" Professor Ivy smiled apologetically with Professor Oak upon seeing the group's confused looks.

"It isn't often we professors get to casually chat with each other like this. You'll have to excuse us," Professor Oak added.

" _This_ was chatting casually?" Serena muttered with disbelief.

"As I said, please excuse us," Professor Oak said again as Professor Ivy handed the phone back to Ash.

"So professor. I was wanting ask you a question," Ash stated.

"Of course. What action do you plan on taking now that you have the mysterious pokeball?" Professor Oak asked.

"You see, there looks to be a lot of interesting stuff here in the Orange Islands. It think some of it could really help with all of our training on our Pokemon," Ash told him.

"Really? Like what?" Professor Oak inquired.

"There's this really cool tournament that I'd like to sign up for called the Orange League! I hear it can be pretty tough!" Ash began.

"The Orange League, eh? I've heard of that before. I bet it could be quite beneficial to you," Professor Oak agreed.

"There's also probably a lot of different Pokemon here I would like to see!" Leaf cut in as she squeezed in the chair next to Ash so Professor Oak could see her better.

"Of course! I bet that could really help out your pokedex which would help me in the process!" Professor Oak smiled.

"There's also a lot of smaller tournaments here that all of us could try," Ash continued as he unsuccessfully tried to push Leaf off of the small chair to give himself more space.

"I see," Professor Oak said.

"You don't mind if we do this, do you?" Serena asked this time, seeing as Ash and Leaf were now too busy fighting for dominance on the chair.

"Honestly, I'm really eager to get my hands on the GS ball, but your Pokemon training is extremely important, as well. I believe the Orange Archipelago will offer you ways of training your Pokemon that many other places won't," Professor Oak responded.

"Thanks! You're the best, Professor!" Serena smiled sweetly.

"Anyway, take care now you all! Call me every once in a while to let me know how you're doing or if anything happens with the GS ball," Professor Oak told them.

"We will!" they all answered.

With that, Professor Oak's screen shut off signaling he had hung up. Ash placed the phone back on the receiver and fell off the chair as Leaf took that opportunity to push him off. He glared in mock annoyance at her while she smirked triumphantly. Being a good sport, though, she helped him back to his feet.

"While you're all here, how would you like to see all of our Pokemon that we raise? It's lunchtime for them so you should be able to see a lot," Professor Ivy suggested.

"That sounds awesome!" Leaf exclaimed as she pumped her right fist into the air.

"Someone's excited," Ash teased, though he and the others were pretty interested, too.

* * *

The group was soon walking through Professor Ivy's reserve with several tables worth of food. Normally, Professor Ivy and the triplets would need to make several trips, but this was made a little easier since their guests had volunteered to help set up. Since they were off of the main trail which led to the beach, they were able to see a lot more of the forest's features. There were many types of exotic plants and flowers that one would never find.

"This island is beautiful, Professor Ivy," Brock commented as he looked around.

"Thank you for saying so, Brock, but to us, it's just home. I'm sure if I saw where you all are from, I would think it's beautiful, too," Professor Ivy smiled.

"These flowers are so gigantic!" Misty said as she briefly abandoned the table she was pushing to get a closer look at one. She then took a quick sniff.

"Oh, Misty. That's not a big flower. That's a Vileplume!" Professor Ivy laughed.

"Really?" Misty inquired as she tilted her head in confusion. She then turned around and let out a startled gasp as a Vileplume did indeed come out of the bush with the giant flower on its head.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Leaf exclaimed as she immediately flipped open her pokedex so she could register this different patterned Vileplume in it.

"Pika Pi. Pikachu," Pikachu said as it went over to converse with the Vileplume.

"Toge Toge!" Togepi chirped as it reached out to see the Vileplume, also. Complying, Serena went over and bent down to where it could touch the different colored flower.

"Well, we weren't mistaken when we thought there might be different looking Pokemon here," Ash muttered.

"Of course. This island's tropical climate is very different from where you all live. The different environment creates a few differences in the Pokemon. I'm now collecting data and studying how environments cause variations in all of our Pokemon," Professor Ivy told them.

"So you bred and raised all of the Pokemon on this island?" Brock asked in amazement.

"Yes. I've dedicated myself to them and couldn't be happier," Professor Ivy responded as she turned to him.

"And you even make the food for all of the Pokemon yourself. It's almost like you're a Pokemon Breeder, too," Brock smiled.

"So you're aiming to be a great Pokemon Breeder, Brock?" Professor Ivy inquired.

"I am," Brock replied.

"And he's really good at it, too!" Ash added. "He's helped me and the others so much on our journey!"

"How nice. You must be really skilled, Brock," Professor Ivy said.

Brock blushed and turned the other way at the compliment. He didn't know it, but he was really falling for this woman. She seemed to have a lot in common with him. She made Pokemon food and bred Pokemon. Not to mention she was beautiful and so sweet-natured. He was girl crazy by nature, but he was starting to feel something he had never felt before, not even with Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy. He was snapped out of his musings when the triplets' voices rang out.

"Dinner time!" they all shouted.

Sure enough, various Pokemon began to come out of the bushes and trees. The group watched in fascination as all the Pokemon had either different colors or patterns on them. Leaf was trying to get as much data as she could on all of these Pokemon. It truly was an interesting thing to watch.

"I wonder if there could be a tropical island type Pikachu," Ash mused as he rubbed his chin in thought.

As if on cue, another Pikachu soon emerged from the forested area for its meal, also. It almost resembled the same color as his own, but its coat and stripes was darker shade, probably because it received more sun.

"Pika!" Pikachu smiled as it went over to the tropical Pikachu and held out its tail for it shake.

The other Pikachu returned the smile and turned around to shake, also. The two rodents then went over to the tropical Pikachu's food where it shared some with Ash's. Pikachu took a bite out of the food and gave a cry of contentment that it found a cool looking new friend.

"This is amazing," Brock breathed.

"How do you figure?" Professor Ivy questioned.

"I mean…this place is just so great. You get to breed and study Pokemon every day here. The fact that you raised them all must mean you are really close to them, too. It's just so great that you get to do this every day," Brock elaborated.

"I guess you would think so considering you're a Pokemon Breeder," Professor Ivy said.

"You have no idea," Brock replied.

"Hmmhmm," Professor Ivy giggled lightly as she turned around to pass around food to more of the Pokemon.

"You're amazing, too," Brock mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" Professor Ivy inquired as she turned back around.

"Oh. Nothing. Never mind," Brock replied as he shook his head, but smiled anyway.

Serena saw the longing look on Brock's face and immediately knew what he was thinking, having been no stranger to it. He was giving the same look to Professor Ivy that she had been giving to Ash for the longest time. It was a look of pure admiration and…love. It wasn't the crazy kind either that he expressed to Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny. It was genuine what he was feeling right now which explained why he wasn't acting goofy. Serena looked at Brock with interest, having had no idea he would meet someone he was falling for at a Pokemon lab.

"Psst, Ash," Serena whispered, getting his attention.

"What's up?" he whispered back.

"Have you noticed the way Brock is acting around Professor Ivy?" she asked.

"Yeah. At first, it was just like with any other girl, but now he's acting a bit different. I can't help but wonder why," Ash replied.

"I think he is truly falling for her," Serena answered.

"Ohhhhh," Ash mumbled in surprise, but not loud enough for the others to hear. Was that really true? Brock actually found a woman he truly likes for things more than their looks?

"Your Pokemon really seem to like the food you make," Brock added as he watched all of the Pokemon eat.

"Yes. They do. It took me several tries to find out what they all like. We first had to make sure the food had the essential nutrients, and then we focused on the taste. We are always studying to see what flavor is best for each individual Pokemon," Professor Ivy replied.

"I see. If it would be okay, maybe we could…swap some recipes while I'm here," Brock suggested with his face as red as a tomato.

"That would be wonderful, Brock!" Professor Ivy said warmly.

"Heheheheh! G-Great!" Brock stuttered. His posture was now unusually stiff again.

"Oh! That would be so awesome! Please show us all of your recipes, Brock! Pretty please!" Charity, Hope, and Faith eagerly exclaimed as they flocked around him while jumping up and down.

"Woah! Slow down!" Brock said, caught off guard by the three's sudden outburst.

"Like you're one to talk, Brock," Misty slyly pointed out.

"Alright, girls! Settle down! We can do all of this after we eat dinner tonight. We still haven't even decided who's cooking yet!" Professor Ivy laughed.

Brock immediately turned his head from the triplets to Professor Ivy. "Did you say cooking?" he asked.

"Why yes. All of you are invited to our house for dinner and welcome to stay the night! You can be our special guests!" Professor Ivy told them.

"Thank you so much!" the group said.

Brock got a glint in his eye at the mention of cooking. This was his chance to show the young lady how good his cooking skills were. He would volunteer and she would be so impressed with him! Yes! That's the plan! He couldn't wait to see the wonderful, luxurious, beautiful home that this beautiful woman lived in!

* * *

It wasn't too far of a walk from the Pokemon lab to Professor Ivy's house. It only took about ten minutes. When the group spotted Professor Ivy's house in the distance, they smiled about how decent the house looked. It wasn't large, but it wasn't too small either. It was probably about the size of Ash or Serena's house and had a quaint feel to it. They figured it would be a tight squeeze for all of them to stay there for the night, but they could make it fit. Professor Ivy must take just as good care of her home as she does her Pokemon.

"Here it is! Home sweet home!" Professor Ivy announced as she opened the door and flipped on the switch for the lights to the house.

They thought that until they saw the inside, however.

The home was an absolute mess. Clothes were everywhere. Trash was on the floor. Unwashed dishes were piled very high in the sink. There was dirt and grime in the corners, and the house even smelled bad because of all the garbage everywhere. It made Ash's room look like the fanciest place ever. Not too far from what Professor Oak thought of the house when he visited, they thought her closet blew up.

"Niiiiiiiice place," Misty muttered sarcastically before quickly covering her mouth due to how rude that sounded.

Despite the comment, Professor Ivy and the triplets didn't seem bother at all by it. In fact, they even smiled!

"Oh, we just got so wrapped up in our Pokemon research that we started forgetting to clean the house. Now we just call it…"Professor Ivy began.

"…Our little dump!" the triplets finished.

"Even dumps are a lot cleaner than this place," Ash said with a nervous smile. Pikachu held its nose and let out a puking sound because of the nasty smell.

Togepi wrinkled its nose in disgust and started struggling in Serena's arms to hide itself. It didn't want to be anywhere near this place.

Brock, however, could have none of this. His whole body started shaking as he suddenly felt an incredible urge come upon himself that he hadn't had in a while. In fact, he hadn't felt it since leaving his home in Pewter City. There was only one thing to do in a place like this. There was no way he could let the professor and her assistants live in this way any longer.

"Um, Brock? Are you okay?" Serena asked when she saw his expression.

"I can't take it! Floors need to swept and vacuumed! Clothes need to be washed! Mopping! Polishing! Everything!" Brock suddenly shouted, unable to contain himself.

He then swiftly opened his backpack and pulled out his apron before tying it on. He then brought out a sponge and a duster. He then rushed to the nearby closet and found a whole lot more trash, but thankfully, a mop and vacuum were in there, too. With that, Brock rushed over to Professor Ivy and the triplet's and gave them a reassuring smile.

"Not to worry! This place is just like my old house! Leave it to Super Brock!" he yelled before setting off to work.

For the members of the group, this was nothing that new to them as they already knew of Brock's tidiness. Professor Ivy and the triplets were amazed, however. He was working so quickly and efficiently. Within the span of only five minutes he had the kitchen cleaned up enough to where he could at least start dinner. There was still so much to be done, though. He got out several garbage bags and threw out all of the trash before beginning to sweep and vacuum the floors.

"Hey, Brock. Would you like any help?" Serena offered, feeling a little bad that he was doing everything and they were just watching.

"No thanks, Serena! I've got this! It's been so long since I've had to clean a mess like this that I have to do it or I might explode!" Brock answered as he continued to eagerly clean everything.

"Brock is such a great cleaner. I could learn from him," Professor Ivy commented as she watched.

"I'll say!" the triplets added.

"He even works for free," Ash chuckled in amusement at Brock's tendencies.

For a normal person, it would have taken them hours to clean a house this bad. For someone like Brock, though, he did it in fifteen short minutes. Everything was sparkling, the smell was gone, and the dirty dishes were now either in the washing machine or stacked neatly as they awaited the next run. Dinner was also ready as Brock hastily pulled a casserole out of the oven before setting it down on the table. It takes an extraordinary person to do something like this in such a short amount of time.

"Everything is all set, Professor! Just wait until you try my casserole!" Brock said enthusiastically as he gestured for everyone to sit down in the now clean dining room.

"Well, girls. I say we all owe Brock a great big thanks for this," Professor Ivy told them.

"You bet! Thanks a lot Brock! You're the best!" they cheered before helping themselves to the casserole, taking an even bigger portion than what Ash would.

"I don't think there will be enough for all of us," Leaf muttered with a sweat drop at seeing how much the professor and her assistants had gotten.

"No need. I don't have to eat. I'm satisfied enough as I am. If there's any left over, I'll just have that," Brock informed them.

He then turned back to the four researchers and smiled. The really seemed to enjoy his cooking which pleased him greatly. They were really chowing down judging by the amount of noises and how quickly they were eating. The rest of the group grimaced at their eating habits. One would think they hadn't eaten all week with how they were acting now.

"The Pokemon eat quieter than they do," Ash mumbled to Serena, Misty, and Leaf.

"Even you eat quieter than they do," Leaf replied, causing Ash to give her a sheepish grin.

"Yeah. That's saying something," Misty added.

The only one who didn't seem bothered by the way the four ate was Brock. A situation like this reminded him so much of his days at home. It was a little nostalgic.

"They're just like my family," he stated thoughtfully.

* * *

Nighttime had fallen rather quickly. It was now almost eleven o'clock and most people had already gone to bed. That was except for Professor Ivy who was used to staying up this late. Normally, it was because she was still doing research, but tonight, it was to watch and study a ritual that was done by some of the Vileplume that lived on the island.

She was just about leave the house with her assistants when she heard one of the bedroom doors open. She turned and around and found it to be Brock who was carrying a tray of rice balls with him.

"Oh, Brock. I thought you would be asleep right now," she said.

"I'll be fine. I'm much more interested in seeing what you all like to study at night. Besides, I thought you all might like a snack," Brock answered as he presented the rice balls to them.

"How thoughtful. Of course you can come along," Professor Ivy replied with a smile as she turned back around to leave.

"Cool! We have the great Brock joining us tonight!" Charity commented.

"That makes it even better!" Hope added.

"Brock needs to come with us more often!" Faith finished.

The last statement caught Brock off guard as he stumbled a little bit. It wasn't enough for the others to notice, though. Still, that comment did stick out to him a little bit. Join them in research more often? How would he be able to do that if he was leaving tomorrow morning? Well, he supposed he could always visit them on occasion, but it would be rather difficult with how much Ash, Serena, and Misty traveled. Would he get an opportunity like this again?

Not too much longer, they were back at Professor Ivy's research area. They had to go quite a bit off the main path to get to their destination as most of the Vileplume lived deep in the forest. As they got closer, they could see a small bit of what looking like sparkling. The five peaked around the trees and saw the Vileplume in a clearing doing some type of dance. Professor Ivy and her assistants then crouched down behind a bush and began to watch while taking notes or recording it on video.

"So what are the Vileplume doing?" Brock asked them.

"Well, they're spreading out their pollen. They do this about every other night which prevents other Pokemon from entering their territory. We had no idea Vileplume were this defensive of turf before we began this study," Professor Ivy answered.

"So how long have you been studying them?" Brock wondered.

"Almost two weeks. This will be our last night," Professor Ivy responded. "We try not to take too long studying only one type of Pokemon otherwise we would never get to them all. We are learning new things about each of the Pokemon we raise here every day."

"I see," Brock muttered in interest as he stepped a little closer to get a better look at the ritual.

"Careful. You don't want accidentally breathe in their pollen," Professor Ivy warned gently.

"Right. I'll be careful. Thanks," Brock replied as stepped back. Being a Pokemon breeder, he knew the correct distance to stand without being affected by their pollen, but he wasn't going to ignore Professor Ivy's advice.

"Professor Ivy accidentally breathed in the pollen our first night studying the Vileplume," Hope commented.

"Huh? What happened?" Brock wondered. Surely she would know not to do something like that or get too close.

"We were studying the Vileplume when all of a sudden, a Raticate ran out into their area and got a full blast of their pollen," Charity began.

"It was in a lot pain and appeared to be unable to move," Hope added.

"Professor Ivy rushed out to save it and ended up breathing in the pollen herself," Faith finished.

"Professor! That's dangerous!" Brock gasped, but quickly lowered his voice to avoid startling the Vileplume.

"I know, but I couldn't just let the Raticate stay there and get in even worse condition," Professor Ivy replied with a sigh.

"So what happened after that?" Brock asked, softening his tone a little.

"It was terrible! We had to wait a while until the Vileplume were done spreading their pollen until we could do anything unless we were to breathe it in, too," Charity continued.

"We rushed the Raticate to the Pokemon Center immediately. Then we had to get Professor Ivy to the hospital on this island! She was there for three days!" Hope said.

"Three days? You got it that bad?" Brock asked in astonishment.

"We were so worried for her," Faith muttered in sadness.

"Ohhhhh," Brock uttered.

"I think we have some good notes, Professor. We'll be off back to the house, and we'll analyze them in the morning," Charity spoke up.

"Alright, girls. I'm just about done. I'll catch up in a little bit," Professor Ivy told them.

"Do you mind if I stay to keep you company?" Brock asked hopefully.

"You're more than welcome," Professor Ivy replied warmly.

"Alright. We'll see you in the morning," the triplets responded before walking off.

After the triplets walked off, Brock turned back to Professor Ivy who was still taking notes on the Vileplume. This was the first time he was finally alone with her since he arrived on the island. A part of him was screaming to ask her out on a date, but a part of him was actually saying no. Brock didn't know why, but he just felt different around her, almost like he didn't want to spoil this moment by hitting on her. Besides, there was something else that was still on his mind.

"Professor Ivy, I hate to bring this up again, but what all happened while you were in the hospital, like with your assistants and your lab?" Brock wondered.

"Well, you already heard from them how worried they were for me. I can't say I blame them as…I'm the only parental figure in their life right now," Professor Ivy sighed.

"Go on," Brock urged.

"Those girls and the Pokemon here mean the world to me. I was actually more worried for all of them than they were for me while I was in the hospital. Charity, Hope, and Faith were crying the entire time I was there. I felt terrible for scaring them like that despite my efforts to assure them I would be okay," Professor Ivy continued.

"What do you mean?" Brock wondered, suddenly wanting to know the relationship between Professor Ivy and her assistants. One wouldn't think they were any closer than a normal teacher and assistant relationship, but that was only on the surface. After actually seeing the way they all interact today, he knew they were much closer than that. He figured Ash, Serena, Misty, and Leaf suspected it, too.

"The truth is I was worried about the girls' well-being while I as in the hospital. They don't know the first thing about taking care of themselves. It's not like I'm the best role model in that category, either, as you saw at our house. I was so worried something may happen to them while I was there, not to mention the Pokemon. Charity, Hope, and Faith know the basics about caring for all of the Pokemon here, but they wouldn't be able to care for them an extended period of time. It's up to me to properly care for everything here," Professor Ivy explained.

"Mmm," Brock mused, feeling great sympathy for Professor Ivy and the triplets.

"Even though I was only in the hospital for a few days, it got me wondering what would become of my assistants and the Pokemon if something were to happen to me," Professor Ivy said as tears began to come to her eyes.

"Professor," Brock trailed.

"I hate to think what would happen if I weren't around. The Pokemon would most likely be transported to another Pokemon lab, and while they would be okay, I worry they wouldn't get the same amount of care if they were in a different environment. It would be hard for them to adapt. Charity, Hope, and Faith on the other hand, would have absolutely nowhere to go. They wouldn't be able to care for themselves. Essentially…," Professor Ivy stopped.

"They would be orphans," Brock finished for her.

"Yes," Professor Ivy muttered before turning to Brock. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to dump all of my worries on you like that. That was unkind of me."

"No. It's okay, Professor. Really. You have a lot on your plate with this lab and your assistants to take care of," Brock reassured, wanting to almost cry himself.

"You're too kind, Brock. Please don't tell anyone else what I said. It will be just between us," Professor Ivy told him.

"Right. Just between us," Brock agreed as they resumed watching the Vileplume.

Brock had a lot of thoughts going through his head once again. These people were all extremely happy with the way things were. Underneath that, however, was a lot of doubt. Their lifestyle was a complete mess, and they would be completely helpless without the other. The Pokemon would also be in bad shape if someone with a great deal of experience wasn't around to take care of them if something suddenly came up.

Brock began having flashbacks to his own family. They were the reason he could never leave to go off on his journey. They would be in no shape to fend for themselves without a proper mother or father in their lives. Being the oldest sibling, Brock forced himself to take on that role when their real mother and father left. He could never leave them on their on like that. Now, upon hearing all of this from Professor Ivy, he was all well too reminded of that situation. They really were just like his own family and needed a captain to take care of all of them, especially if something were to happen.

Brock once again thought back to how he said if he could live with a beautiful woman and learn about Pokemon every day, that would be his paradise. Here, all of those criteria would be met. It went a little deeper than that, however. It wasn't just about that. Professor Ivy and her assistants really needed a person who could clean up their unhealthy lifestyle and teach them the ropes. They needed someone with a wealth of knowledge of Pokemon who could provide back up in case an emergency happened so the Pokemon could still be nurtured. They needed someone who could help care for them if one of them got sick, or hurt, or anything. They needed someone like…him.

It was at that moment that Brock made his ultimate decision.

"Professor Ivy," he spoke up, getting her attention. "I have a serious question for you."

* * *

The group slept very peacefully that night. Since all of the garbage had been removed from Professor Ivy's house, it proved to be quite comfortable. It was a little crowded, but nothing too bad. Now that morning had arrived, they were waiting in anticipation for breakfast that was cooked courtesy of Brock. The tanned boy greeted them as each of them woke up and said he had something to tell them, and he would do so over breakfast.

Everyone sat at the dinner table as Brock brought many stacks of pancakes, eggs, bacon, grits, just about everything. They were rather surprised that Brock had cooked so much. It was a lot, even for him. One would think there was some sort of special occasion with how much he cooked. They didn't know how right they were.

"Alright, guys," Brock spoke up, addressing Ash, Serena, Misty, and Leaf. "I made a whole lot of food this morning so I want you to make sure to eat everything."

"Wow, Brock. You really went all out," Serena commented while staring wide-eyed at everything before her.

"Chuuuuuu," Pikachu added with sparkling eyes as it saw what looked like a ketchup mountain that Brock had made for it.

Togepi's eyes lit up with happiness as it tasted what was probably the best food Brock had made for it yet. This of course didn't go unnoticed by anyone.

"You really like it, don't you, Togepi?" Serena asked.

"Togepriii!" it chirped as usual.

"I'm never one to complain for a lot food or your cooking, but this is a little out of the ordinary since all we are doing is setting out from here," Ash said in a confused tone.

"Oh! I've got it! You wanted to cook Professor Ivy and her assistants a huge breakfast before we left! That's thoughtful of you!" Misty smiled.

"Well, no. It's not for them," Brock muttered with a slight smile as he sat down himself while Professor Ivy and her assistants really dug in the food like last time. They were told not to say anything to the group about his decision and that he would tell them himself.

"Who's it for then?" Ash asked.

"It's for you guys," Brock answered, gesturing to him, Serena, Leaf, and Misty.

"Why are you doing this, Brock?" Serena asked curiously.

"You better hurry up and eat it," Brock answered instead with a slight smile before tilting his head in Professor Ivy and her assistants' direction. "If you don't, they will."

"You know that to be true! This is great!" the triplets shouted with a mouthful of food.

"You really seem to like them, Brock," Misty stated as she noticed the slight look of affection on Brock's face as he watched them eat.

"Yeah. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you guys about," Brock said seriously as he turned back to the group.

"What is it, Brocko?" Ash wondered.

Brock took a deep breath as he prepared what he wanted to say. He didn't want to just suddenly spring it on them like this, but there was really no choice since they were leaving today. He instead decided to throw out small hints to the group as the morning went on. He was being unexpectedly generous to them by making sure they had clean clothes, bought plenty of supplies for them but none for himself, and now he just presented them possibly the biggest breakfast he ever made for them. He then looked them all with a firm gaze to show he was serious.

"Guys…I'm going to stay here with Professor Ivy, Charity, Faith, and Hope," Brock stated finally.

The group and Pikchu let out a collective gasp of surprise at that. Togepi tilted its head strangely. They clearly weren't expecting that! Sure, it was clear Brock was interested in Professor Ivy, but that wouldn't make him stay here, would it? There were too many other women out there that he wouldn't want to miss. Not to mention she was a good fifteen years older than he was. It had to go a lot deeper than that. It was then the group realized that Kabuto hadn't left its pokeball once to stab Brock as usual when he was around Professor Ivy. Did it approve of Brock's decision?

"You're serious, Brock? You really want to stay here?" Serena finally asked after a moment, her heart suddenly feeling sad.

"I am. Remember what I said to all of you? If I could find a place where I could learn about Pokemon every day, it would be a paradise for me. This place is it," Brock reminded them before adding. "These guys need me a lot more than you all do. They're just like my family back home."

"Brock…," Ash trailed.

Brock sighed. "Hey, Ash. I know you were looking forward to learning from me, but I can't just leave Professor Ivy and her assistants with the way things are now."

"Brock is an incredible help to all of us. He's only been here a day, but it makes me wonder how we made it without him," Professor Ivy told the group with a smile.

"Yeah! Brock's the best!" the triplets shouted.

Ash looked down at his plate of food with a small frown on his face. This would be the last meal he may ever have from Brock. He was really serious about his decision to stay here. Red was right when he said that Brock wouldn't be around forever. Ash and the others knew that, of course. It just came a lot sooner than they all expected.

"Serena's getting to be quite the cook, Ash," Brock smiled as he rubbed his chin and gave a wink at Serena. "Don't forget she owns a cookbook with even a few of my special touches added in there. I'm passing the torch to her."

"Heehee! Thanks, Brock. I'm nowhere near as good as you'll ever be. You've taught me so much, and I don't know how to thank you," Serena said.

"You can thank me by proving what you learned as you set off without me. Nothing pleases a teacher more than seeing their students go off on their own once they're ready, and believe me. You're ready," Brock told her.

"Oh, Brock," Serena mumbled as she felt her eyes get a bit wet.

"I know, Brock. It's just I really liked it when you traveled with us. You've done so much, and now…," Ash trailed again.

"It would be really weird without having you around," Misty muttered with a sad smile. "You're like a big brother to all of us."

"I realize this was all kind of sudden, but I really feel as though I'm making the right decision here. I love it here, and my Pokemon do, too," Brock stated as he gestured out the large window.

The group then turned and looked in surprise as they now noticed all of Brock's Pokemon in the distance playing with some the island's Pokemon. From Onix all the way to Vulpix, they all seemed to be having a blast.

The group watched the scene fondly as they thought of what Brock said. Everything he told them was completely true. This really did seem like the perfect place for Brock to be. He would gain so much knowledge here and be able to care for this family. They saw how Professor Ivy and her assistants lived and how much Brock seemed to like it here. It would be selfish of them to think otherwise. Brock really did belong here, and they would support him.

"I gotcha, Brock. You're right. We'll support you no matter what," Ash said.

"That's right. You guys can be a real family here," Serena agreed. fighting back the urge to cry.

"Hey. Don't forget. You guys are my family, too," Brock grinned.

It was then the group couldn't take it anymore and let the tears fall freely from their faces.

* * *

The sun was high into the sky. Upon learning that this would be their last time with Brock, they didn't leave right after breakfast like they intended. They stayed for a few extra hours and helped Brock and his Pokemon with some chores around Professor Ivy's house like repairing a small hole in the roof or helping Professor Ivy feed the Pokemon. They then spent the rest of the time simply talking and laughing with Brock, Professor Ivy, and the triplets.

Like all good things, however, it had to end. It was almost one in the afternoon, and they would have to leave now if they intended to get to the next island by dark. They stood on one side while Brock, his Pokemon, Professor Ivy, and her assistants stood on another. They lingered there for a moment longer than they needed to, neither wanting to say goodbye to the other.

"Well, Brock. It's been a blast. Thanks for everything," Ash said as he held out one of his hands.

"You bet, Ash. Friends to the end," Brock replied as he clapped hands with Ash.

"Goodbye, Brock," Serena said sadly as she went up over hugged the Pokemon breeder, him returning the gesture. "I promise to make you proud by showing you what I've learned."

"You were always there for us, Brock. I know I have a lot of older sisters, but you were still the brother I never had," Misty told him as she embraced him, also.

"Thanks, guys. I feel the same way," Brock agreed with a nod.

"Well, Brock. I've haven't known you for long, but I can tell that you really watched out for them. Thank you," Leaf said.

"It was my pleasure, Leaf," Brock replied as they shook hands.

The group continued to stand there, not wanting to leave. They each had so many thoughts going through their head about all of the fun they had with Brock. They loved everything about the guy, even his obsessive nature with girls. Looking back, it was almost humorous when he did that, even to Misty, despite how annoyed she would look. It was just part of what made Brock himself. Both the good and the very strange quirks.

"Well, we'll catch ya later," Ash finally said as he turned to go.

"Oh. Wait a moment, Ash. I just remembered," Professor Ivy called out as her eyes lit up.

"What is it, Professor?" Ash asked as he turned to look at her inquisitively.

"You were going to enter the Orange League, right? The best place to start would be Tangelo Island. You can register there. It's not far at all, maybe a couple of hours to the northwest," she said.

"Tangelo Island, huh? I'll do that. Thanks for the tip, Professor," Ash smiled.

"We won't forget about the GS ball, either, while we're here," Serena assured.

"I know you'll all take great care of it," Professor Ivy nodded.

With that, the group turned and resumed their walking. They all held out up their hands and waved, neither side letting up.

"See you later, guys! Make sure you don't forget me!" Brock yelled.

All of Brock's Pokemon cried out in agreement. Onix, Graveler, Golbat, Vulpix, Rhyhorn, and Kabuto all waved, as well. They had grown to like the group and their Pokemon and would miss them, too.

"We could never forget you!" Ash yelled back as they continued on.

Brock continued to wave until his friends were out of sight. With that, he lowered his hand and let out a sigh. He really would miss them, but now, this group was a part of his life. He would love it here. He knew it. Maybe along the way, he and Professor Ivy could…

"Hey, everyone. What do you say we head back in? We still haven't swapped recipes for Pokemon food," he reminded.

"Sounds good, Brock. Welcome to our home," Professor Ivy officially acknowledged as they turned to go back inside the house. Charity, Hope, and Faith clinged onto his arms the whole way.

* * *

The truth was the group had no idea where they were heading before Professor Ivy mentioned where to sign up for the Orange League. Now, they had a destination. There were plenty of other things to do while they were here, but they might as well get Ash registered since the islands was so close, anyway.

"Wow. It's going to be so weird to not have Brock with us," Serena sighed as they walked along.

"Tell me about it. He's been with us almost as long as you, Misty," Ash stated as he looked at her.

"I know," Misty agreed thoughtfully.

"I'll be taking over what Brock did from now on," Serena told them. "I think I've got the hang of everything now."

"I guess that means you get to be my teacher, Serena," Ash said while shooting her a grin.

"Hahaha. Yeah," Serena replied with a slight blush. Yes. It would be a good way for her and Ash to spend time together. Granted, it wasn't the most romantic of things, but they'll take what they can get.

"I'll help, too. I traveled alone in Kanto so I know a thing or two about taking care of myself, also," Leaf added.

"Sounds good! I'll even throw in a bit of my own dishes. It looks like you'll have to settle for us girls taking care of you, Ketchum," Misty winked playfully.

"Hey! I'm trying to learn! I'll be just as good as you all someday!" Ash argued, but he wasn't seriously angry as he knew Misty was just kidding.

"Guys, I just remembered something. How are we going to get to Tangelo Island? Professor Ivy mentioned nothing about a ferry going there," Leaf brought up.

"Uhhhhh….," Ash uttered as he, Serena, and Misty realized the same thing.

"Chuuuuu," Pikachu sighed in exasperation. Please say they wouldn't have to take several ferries just to get to an island that wasn't far from here.

"Hmmm…what to do?" they all mumbled to themselves.

"I've got it!" Misty suddenly exclaimed as she held up her index finger. "We can ride on my Gyarados!"

"Your Gyarados?" Ash echoed, sounding a little nervous.

"Of course. It can get us safely across the water. Remember how we rode it in Mewtwo's storm? It was no match for Gyarados's strength!" Misty reminded.

"Well, that's true, but…," Ash started. Gyarados were nothing but scale so they were actually pretty uncomfortable.

"Look, I know it's not the smoothest of rides, but do you have any better options?" Misty asked.

"Nope. Not one," Ash admitted as they reached the shoreline which would take them to Tangelo Island.

"In that case, come on out, Gyarados!" Misty shouted as she released the giant sea serpent from its pokeball.

Gyarados gave a might roar when it appeared and looked down at Misty. It looked rather out of place to see such a terrifying Pokemon await command like that. Still, as under control as it seemed, Gyarados was still extremely intimidating by nature.

"Gyarados, would you please let us ride on you? We need a lift to another island," Misty requested.

The Gyarados let out a soft roar and lowered its body so the group could get on. Misty didn't waste any time climbing her Pokemon while the others did so a little more hesitantly. When they were in Mewtwo's storm, they were more than eager to get on its back as it was the only way to save their lives. Now, when the situation wasn't so dire, they were a little scared. They knew Misty would never let her Gyarados do anything to them, and it seemed tame enough. It's just the fact that it was a Gyarados. They just hoped they didn't freak any residents out with it when they saw a huge sea serpent coming straight for their island.

Once they were all on, the Gyarados gave a soft roar and set off in the direction of Tangelo Island. Despite their discomfort, the group looked on with determination. They got what they needed from this island as the GS ball was now safely in Ash's backpack. He would make sure it stayed safe while they were traveling here.

They turned around once more to look at Valencia Island getting farther in the distance, all thinking the same thing. Brock wasn't leaving with them this time. Although they were leaving a good friend behind in Brock, they knew he was happy which allowed them to go on. Now, they all had to set their sights on new things. They knew the Orange Islands would have so much to do here for each of them.

Ash himself was pumped up. He was ready to start another league. Unable to contain himself, he stood up from his sitting position and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Look out, Orange League! Ash Ketchum his here to take you by storm! I'm going to win for sure!" he called out.

Unfortunately, Ash standing up caused him to lose his balance on the unsteady ride. The girls reached out to steady him while Pikachu snickered and Togepi laughed at Ash's antics. Ash sheepishly sat back down. Maybe he could let his excitement wait until they reached Tangelo Island. Still, the Orange Islands would be a great experience, and the group couldn't wait to see what it had in store for them.

* * *

 **And Brock leaves. Yeah. He still returns for Johto, and I have an explanation already lined up. I've got a really good outline now of how all of the Orange League gym battles and rules will play out. They are all different in some way, some a whole lot more than others. For instance, the match with Danny is nothing like canon, while the type of match with Rudy has just a few differences. I think you will all be pleased with the changes I made for all of the coming gym battles. That doesn't start until Chapter 7, though. Next chapter, we have "you-know-who" show up, as evidenced by the title, as well as a sweet-natured transport Pokemon. All of their meetings are different by the way. See you all July 20!**

 **I may not get a lot of writing done between now and the next update. I'll be on vacation for two weeks.**

 **Chapter 6: The Pokemon Watcher**

 **Answering the Questions: (slight spoilers)**

 _Would Ash still meet with Prima?_

 ** _Prima is Lorelei in this story. The group already met her along with the other Elite Four in the Kanto Arc. Answering the question, though, yes. Lorelei will have an appearance in this arc, but not the same way as canon._**

 _If Serena is going to do a Pokevision video in the Orange Islands, will she do one of her bond with her Pokemon and her relationship with Ash?_

 ** _Not on her relationship with Ash. That isn't "Pokevision" material._**

 _Will Togepi learn Metronome in this arc with the others knowing or will they be oblivious about it like in the canon?_

 ** _They'll know about it later on._**

 _Will Ash and Serena go on a double date with Misty and Rudy?_

 ** _So far, no._**

 _Does professor oak, or Serena currently have the egg she won at the Battle Chateau?_

 ** _Professor Oak. I meant to include that in dialogue in Chapter 2, but it sort of slipped my mind so I added it in this chapter._**

 _Will Dawn and May appear in the Orange Islands?_

 ** _No._**

 _When do you think you can finish the story?_

 ** _I hope to be done writing the Orange Islands arc by the end of 2015. After that, I have no idea. A lot can change in a short amount of time._**

 _Are you going to prologue to the Power of One movie like you did with Mewtwo Strikes Back?_

 ** _I've strongly considered it, but as of right now, I will just be gradually introducing it in intervals. It's possible I'll change my mind depending on how much of a prologue I can write for it._**

 _Will you post the chapters at a faster rate when you are done writing the Orange Islands arc?  
_

 ** _Yes, and I will also take another break._**

 _Does it feel like youre writing a bunch of oneshots whenever you write the amour scenes?  
_

 ** _Honestly, sometimes it does. It's something I'm trying to improve. I want the amour scenes to flow together like the rest of the story._**

 _Why does Scyther hate Ash?_

 ** _Ash insulted its Pokemon pride back in Fuchsia City. Even though it was unintentional, Scyther is a very prideful and savage Pokemon and isn't so quick to forgive._**

 _Will Misty stay with Rudy or will she stay with Ash and the crew?_

 ** _Ultimately with Ash and the crew for the short time being, but there are a whole lot of things that will be going on in the chapter where Rudy appears again. It may possibly even be split into two chapters. It depends on how long it starts to get._**

 _Is the actress you're refe to Aria or Diantha?_

 ** _It was Diantha, and that isn't the last you'll hear of her, or Aria for that matter. Yes. I'm aware that Aria is the performer who Serena saw do Pokevision first, though in canon.  
_**

 _Will Tracey still be getting a Scyther?_

 ** _Yes._**

 _Will there ever be a point in the story where ash and scyther or fearow our all three get separated from the group and have to work together?_

 ** _Nothing like that has come to mind. I rule out the possibility, though._**

 _About winning a Pokemon League, does the Orange League count?_

 ** _Maybe_**

 _Will there be more romantic moments between Ash and Serena this arc?  
_

 ** _Yes. The Power of One will have a lot of amourshipping in it._**

 _Is Riley Delia's brother or Red's?_

 ** _Red's brother. Ash's aura comes from his father's line._**

 _Would you accept a suggestion on what Pokemon Senta has?_

 ** _Senta won't have a Pokemon in this story._**

 _Will there be more Charla and Charizard moments?_

 ** _Yes, but it isn't the focus right now._**

 _Will Ash catch the abandoned Bulbasaur?  
_

 ** _It doesn't make an appearance in this story. Even if it did, Ash doesn't need two of the same Pokemon since he already has a Bulbasaur._**


	6. The Pokemon Watcher

**A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. There isn't much for me to say except "Please enjoy it."**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon which means I will never make a profit off of this fic or turn it into an anime.**

* * *

Chapter 6: The Pokemon Watcher

"Look! There it is! Tangelo Island in the distance!" Misty announced cheerfully as she pointed her index finger forward.

The rest of the group looked up and sighed in relief that the island was indeed coming closer. The truth was riding a Gyarados wasn't exactly the best way to get across the water. Most Pokemon just power through the water and are able to remain quite steady. A Gyarados, however, had to constantly move its serpent-like body up and down which caused a lot of wobbling and rocking, making a very nauseating ride. Not to mention its hard scales were pretty uncomfortable for sitting upon. It wasn't too bad for short trips, but after being on one for a few hours, they were getting pretty seasick.

"Thank goodness. I don't think I can take much more of this," Ash muttered.

"Chuuuuu," Pikachu agreed in misery, being a little green in the face.

"It's not that bad, Ash. At least we have a ride to get across the islands," Misty said with a frown. She seemed to be the only one of the group who didn't look sick.

"Don't get us wrong, Misty. We're really glad that we can make it to islands pretty quickly on your Gyarados, but that doesn't automatically make it a comfortable ride," Serena sighed. She was trying to hold Togepi steady to keep it from wobbling as bad as they were. The last thing the group wanted right now was the baby Pokemon to get sick and vomit on them.

"A rowboat in a raging ocean would be smoother than this," Ash mumbled.

"What was that, Ketchum?" Misty asked heatedly as she turned around and fixed Ash with a glare.

"Please, guys. I'll get an even worse stomachache listening to you," Leaf uttered. Even the normally energetic and cheerful Leaf wasn't feeling great at the moment.

"Sorry, Misty. We appreciate the ride," Ash said and managed a weak smile, not wanting to upset Leaf or Serena.

"Well, alright. That's better," Misty replied before turning back around to stare ahead.

The group arrived on Tangelo Island a few minutes later. Gyarados lowered its head and allowed the group to get off which they were extremely happy to do. Ash, Serena, Leaf, and Pikachu fell over on their backs on the sand to rest for a second and get rid of their sea sickness.

"Thanks for the ride, Gyarados," Misty smiled as she patted its hard scales.

"Gyaaaaaa," it roared softly.

"Thanks, Gyarados," the rest of the group mumbled, still wanting the Pokemon to know they were glad it was being a kind enough to give them a lift.

"Don't mind them, Gyarados. Good work," Misty assured as she returned it to its pokeball, not wanting such a hostile Pokemon to think they were being thankless.

"We'll be fine after a few minutes, Misty. Just give us a chance to rest," Serena panted.

"Man, I will really have to get you guys used to the waves while we're here. You'll all be like one of the four Sensational Sisters in no time!" Misty stated.

"Sounds great," Ash uttered, trying not to imagine himself in a swimsuit and doing tricks in the water.

"Welcome all to Tangelo Island, home of the Pokemon Park, the best Pokemon theme park there is! Please enjoy your stay while you're here!" a man's voice suddenly sounded through a loud speaker not far from where the group was.

"A Pokemon theme park?" Serena questioned as she sat up from the sand and looked inquisitively around her.

"Hmmm…," Leaf mused as she sat up, too, and pulled out a guide book for the Orange Islands. Being so adventurous, one of these was necessary for her. She flipped through a few pages before finding the section she wanted. "Tangelo Island, home to the world's first Pokemon theme park, Pokemon Park. Come and enjoy our tasty food, beautiful beaches, and other fun attractions."

"I don't remember Professor Ivy saying this place was a theme park," Ash said as he leaned over to look at Leaf's guide book.

"Maybe she wanted to surprise us," Serena shrugged.

"Well, I for one think we found a fun island to crash on. Now seems like as good a time as any to try out the beaches on the Orange Islands," Misty suggested.

"Sounds good to me!" Ash cheered enthusiastically, his sea sickness now worn off.

* * *

It turned out that Tangelo Island highly reminded the group of Cinnabar Island. It was highly populated, had many local attractions, and was completely overrun with tourists. The group passed by all sorts of rides ranging from game booths to Pokemon themed rides to even a giant Ferris Wheel. Ash and Serena remembered something like that all too well. A huge Ferris Wheel was where Serena finally confessed her feelings to Ash.

As usual, the group decided it would be best to visit the Pokemon Center first. It would most likely be where Ash could register for the Orange League as well as get a room since they were going to spend the night here. As the group entered the Pokemon Center and saw the usual Nurse Joy there, they immediately realized how strange it was to not have Brock run up and flirt with her like always. Brock, and even his crazy antics, would be missed.

"Hello, everyone. What can I do for you?" the Nurse Joy asked kindly once the group walked up to her.

"Hey, Nurse Joy. I would like to register myself to compete in the Orange League and get two rooms for the night," Ash told her.

"Not a problem at all. I'll just need to see your pokedex, please," Nurse Joy requested.

Ash obliged and took out his pokedex and handed it to Nurse Joy. She took it from him and slid it into a particular slot next to her computer and began typing in his information. After about thirty seconds, she gave it back to him and smiled once more.

"There you go, Ash. You're now registered. Make sure to train hard because some say the members of the Orange Crew are tougher than gym leaders," she told him.

"I say the tougher the better! We'll get some great training in by doing this, right, Pikachu?" Ash asked his buddy.

"Pika!" it agreed. It was looking forward to challenge the Orange Crew just as much as its trainer was. There was no doubt his other Pokemon felt the same way.

"Now let me just get your rooms ready," Nurse Joy said as she began typing in their reservation.

As she typed, Ash suddenly realized he was the only boy in the group. That would mean that he would have a room by himself. It almost made him kind of sad to not have another guy here to hang out with and chat about things after dark. It would be quite lonely at night with just him, Pikachu, and his other Pokemon.

"Hey, Serena," Leaf whispered so Ash wouldn't hear. "Ash will probably get pretty lonely staying in a room by himself. Why don't you stay with him?"

Serena blushed furiously as she turned and stared at Leaf with wide eyes. The brown-haired girl and Misty were both wearing a smirk on their faces. Serena began having all sorts of wild thoughts running through her head. Her and Ash share a room together?! Could they do that?! Would it be indecent? Did she want to? Well, duh! Of course she did! Still, the thought of sharing a bedroom with Ash...

"Hey, Serena. Why are you blushing?" Ash wondered once he noticed her expression. He wasn't oblivious enough to not know what she was doing anymore, but he still wanted to know what triggered it.

"Oh, Ash. I think Serena was thinking about sharing a…," Leaf started, but Serena quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

"It's nothing, Ash! I was just thinking about all of the fun you and I will share together while we're here!" Serena hurriedly said.

"Yeah. Great fun between you two," Misty murmured with a knowing smile.

"Eep!" Serena shrieked as she blushed harder and now covered Misty's mouth.

Why were her friends making fun of her like this and insinuating she wanted to share a bedroom with Ash?! She was so embarrassed! Sure, they were boyfriend and girlfriend, but they were only eleven years old for goodness sake! The thought of doing something like that was too much for Serena to handle right now.

"Someone mind telling me what's going on?" Ash asked with genuine confusion. Despite losing some of his denseness, he still had no idea what the girls were talking about.

"It's nothing, Ash. We were just teasing Serena about something," Leaf giggled, deciding their joke with Serena had gone far enough.

"Well, if you want to have fun with me, Serena, all you have to do is say so. I'll do it anytime, " Ash told her with an innocent smile.

At that, both Leaf and Misty laughed out loud while Serena fell over in embarrassment. If only he knew what that sounded like considering what the girls were talking about earlier.

* * *

"Alright, everyone! Come on out and enjoy the beach!" Ash called out as he released all of his Pokemon with him. Pidgeot, Wartortle, Bulbasaur, Charizard, and Hitmonchan all appeared.

Serena, Misty, and Leaf released their respective Pokemon, also. Serena brought out Charla, Scyther, Fearow, Jigglypuff, Gloom, and Hitmonlee. Misty released Gyarados, Staryu, Starmie, Psyduck, Goldeen, and Shellder, and Leaf released Venusaur, Dewgong, Sandslash, Beedrill, Parasect, and Tentacruel. Each Pokemon and their trainers then spread out to do their own thing to take advantage of the gorgeous beach. Scyther and Fearow gave a warning look to Ash to not go anywhere near them while they were here. The raven-haired boy was all to happy to obey their silent warning.

Unknown to them, a teenage boy happened to be passing by on the dock. Upon seeing all of the Pokemon out on the beach, his eyes lit up. He then hastily went down the wooden steps onto the beach itself and hid behind a post sign. This group's Pokemon looked quite exceptional indeed, at least from a distance. He may might be able to get in some good notes. The teenage boy then took out a pair of binoculars and a sketch pad to study all of their activities.

Serena, Ash, and Togepi were trying to build the biggest and best sandcastle ever while Leaf was on the shoreline watching the Pokemon play in the ocean and letting the waves roll over her feet. Misty, on the other hand, had spread out a beach towel to work on her tan. If she planned on meeting Rudy again, she felt the need to. Besides, this was the most relaxation she had in a while. Well, it would have been, if Psyduck wasn't constantly poking her with its beak to get her attention.

"Ugh, what is it Psyduck?" Misty asked with slight annoyance that the yellow duck was interrupting her.

"Psyduck!" it answered as it presented a beach ball and knocked it towards Misty in an effort for her to play with it.

"Not now, Psyduck. I'm trying to relax. I'll play later," Misty answered as she attempted to lie back down.

Unfortunately for Misty, her Shellder happened to be hopping by at the moment and saw its comrade's predicament. Deciding to help out, the pranking Pokemon hopped over to Misty and began licking her face with its long tongue.

"Ew!" Misty shrieked which alerted the others. She then jumped up and began wiping her mouth with her hands at the disgusting gesture. What was it with her Pokemon always wanting to kiss or lick her?! Soon, a beachball collided with her face leaving her in a slight daze. Misty looked down and saw her Psyduck giving her an innocent expression like it had done nothing wrong. Shellder, on the other hand, was laughing hard.

"Alright. You two want to play volleyball, do you?" Misty asked dangerously as her eyes seemed to glow red. She then picked up the beach ball and glared at the two Pokemon.

Upon sensing there was trouble approaching, Psyduck and Shellder instantly turned around and dashed off as fast as they could while Misty gave chase. She would probably throw that ball hard enough to kill them if she caught up.

"I think that deep down, Misty loves all of this attention that her Pokemon give her," Serena commented as she and Ash watched Misty chase around her Pokemon.

"Yeah. Otherwise she wouldn't cater to it like this," Ash agreed.

Meanwhile, Wartortle and Bulbasaur were conversing with Wartortle laughing its head off at a joke it had just told Bulbasaur. The plant dinosaur, on the other hand, didn't quite think so. It was just too corny. That was one thing its turtle friend specialized in were bad jokes.

"Pika," Pikachu called out as it joined them, asking what was up.

Wartortle was just about to tell Pikachu the joke when it caught something in the corner of its eye. It whipped its head around, and hearts instantly filled its eyes. Walking along the beach were none other than two Wartortle, apparently female. The turtle Pokemon instantly made a beeline over to them while Pikachu and Bulbasaur watched with interest.

Wartortle stepped in the way of the two female Wartortle and immediately began striking various poses to get their attention. However, the two others didn't appear to have much interest and just had a confused frown at this. Wartortle then turned and saw Pikachu and Bulbasaur smirking at it. Okay. So this wasn't working out as well as it hoped. What did have that other Wartortle didn't? That's when it hit it. Its sunglasses!

Wartortle then brought out its sunglasses and smiled at the two other Wartortle. The two females seemed to gain slight interest at that and looked in its direction now. Wartortle knew it! It hadn't worn these sunglasses since it was Squirtle. There was just something about the magic of these sunglasses that made girls go crazy. Wartortle then went to put on the sunglasses…

…and they crashed into its face.

Wartortle stared in confusion for a moment before sad realization came to its face. Upon evolving, the sunglasses were now too small! This couldn't be! Wartortle looked up and saw the two other female Wartortle had already lost interest and walked off. Wartortle then turned around and saw Bulbasaur and Pikachu laughing their heads off at Wartortle's failed attempt at picking up two girls. Now THAT was something Bulbasaur found amusing! Upon seeing this, Wartortle narrowed its eyes.

About five seconds later, there were two splashes in the ocean as Pikachu and Bulbasaur landed in face first courtesy of Wartortle.

"Hey, Ash. What do expect the Orange League to be like?" Serena asked him to make conversation while they built their sandcastle.

"Well, I think I remember Nurse Joy and Professor Oak saying that it will really help strengthen the teamwork between me and my Pokemon. With our teamwork strengthened, so will our bond. I bet this will help out a lot!" Ash replied.

"Toge! Toge!" Togepi chimed in as it padded a small portion of the castle. Being so small, it couldn't handle things like creating towers, but it was doing okay at steadying everything.

Both Ash and Serena smiled down at the baby Pokemon before Serena continued, "I don't think it would be a bad idea to get information on the Orange Crew before you battle them. That way you will know what to expect."

"Hmm, maybe," Ash answered as he thought about it. He was told that they were just as tough, if not tougher, than any gym leader. He also wondered what it meant by improving the teamwork between him and his Pokemon. Didn't regular battling do that? Something told Ash that it wouldn't be the case.

"Toge?" Togepi questioned as it tilted its head in confusion.

"What's wrong, Togepi?" Serena asked it, also bringing Ash out of his thoughts as he stared.

"Togeprriii!" it replied as it pointed one of its stubby arms forward.

Ash and Serena followed its gaze and spotted a teenage boy there who was watching them through binoculars about a hundred feet away with a sketchbook in his other hand. Upon learning he was spotted, the boy jumped in shock and quickly pulled his head back behind the post sign.

"Ash, there's some type of creeper watching us," Serena said a little nervously.

Ash frowned at this. He didn't sense any malice with this person watching them. Still, it was a little disturbing, and it did make them feel like their privacy was invaded. They were in a public area, but they didn't like the fact that someone was just staring at them like that. Ash got up from the sand and went over to the post sign to see what was up with this boy, but he found he was already gone. With a shrug, Ash rolled his eyes and went back over to Serena and Togepi. Whoever that was, it appeared he was scared off.

"It looks like he left. I don't think we have to worry about him anymore," Ash said as sat back down.

"What do suppose his deal was?" Serena asked.

"Who knows?" Ash shrugged again.

The boy then peaked out of a nearby shack and saw the group and their Pokemon had gone back to what they were doing. That was way too close. He would prefer to not have to explain what he was doing now that he had already been spotted doing something creepy by normal standards. It wasn't his intention, it just happened that way. As he thought about it, maybe he shouldn't have tried to act so suspicious by hiding behind a sign and spying with binoculars. He then left the shack to go about his business somewhere else, accidentally leaving behind his sketch pad in the process.

Meanwhile, Misty had gotten tired of chasing Shellder and Psyduck. As much as she wanted revenge, she knew they were just horsing around and couldn't bring herself to worry them anymore. By now, it would be too late to get in any real tan so was it really worth relaxing anymore? The evening would be approaching soon so maybe she should just change and wait for the others. Misty approached the small shack at the edge of the beach where she could change her clothes and went in.

At that same time, the teenage boy from earlier happened to be leaving the beach. As he walked along with his hands in his pockets, he was berating himself because of how noticeable he was. How was he supposed to get great sketches and notes on this group's Pokemon if they seemed to think he was some kind of stalker now?

He reached into his backpack to look at the sketches he at least had a chance to make before putting on a look of alarm. Oh no! He left his sketchbook in that changing shack on the beach! They teenage boy turned around and ran back as fast as he could until he got to the shack. In his haste, he forgot the courtesy to knock first and opened the door before running in to retrieve the sketches. About a second later…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Misty's terrified scream alerted everyone else in the vicinity that something had happened. Ash, Serena, Leaf, and their Pokemon all ran as fast as they could towards the shack. Misty only screamed that loud if she saw a bug, but there was no way this could be the case on a tropical beach. She must be really traumatized by something! They made it to the shack and stared at the scene before them.

Misty's face was as red as tomato as she frantically was covering herself up with a towel. On the floor was the teenage boy from earlier sporting a dazed expression and a black eye. Ash and Serena frowned that the boy was still hanging around here while Leaf looked in disgust, having gotten the gist of what was going on.

"What's wrong, Misty?!" Serena exclaimed.

"This pervert walked in on me while I was changing!" Misty shrieked.

The group turned back to look at the boy and shook their heads. It was bad enough that he was caught spying on them, but now he had the nerve to try to peek at a girl while she was changing? Was there no end to this boy's creepiness? It seemed that not even a place as beautiful and fun as Tangelo Island was immune to creepers. Maybe they should call Officer Jenny.

At about this time, the boy seemed to regain his senses as he sat up and shook his head. He then looked around and saw the four humans and their Pokemon staring at him with a look of confusion mixed with disgust. The boy then blushed heavily at how this must have looked. He had to explain himself quickly.

"Wait! I know how this looks, but this is just a huge misunderstanding!" he said frantically.

"I'm sure! You just waltzed in here without even bothering to check if anyone else was here! You did that on purpose, you pervert!" Misty screamed.

"No! I swear I didn't! It's not like that! I was frantic because I left my sketchbook in here! I just left a moment ago and didn't think anyone else had the chance to come since I left! I'm not a peeping Tom! Honest!" the boy defended.

"You mean that sketchbook you had when Serena and I caught you spying on us?" Ash deadpanned. Even if this was an accident, that didn't necessarily excuse the boy.

"So you were spying on us!? Then you're some kind of stalker!" Misty screamed again.

"No! Really! I'm not! Once again, this is just a huge misunderstanding!" the boy exclaimed again.

"Alright! Then what were you doing?" Serena asked with her hands on her hips while fixing the older boy with a glare.

The teenage boy looked around nervously and saw four humans glaring at him and whole bunch of ticked off Pokemon that looked ready to attack him. Boy, had he messed up. This was supposed to be just another normal day in the life of a Pokemon Watcher, but in his excitement, he got a little carried away and was now perceived as a lowlife. How was he supposed to get out of this one?

"Well, I'd like to start off by saying I'm extremely sorry or all of this. It wasn't my intention to make it look like I was spying on you," he said slowly, trying to find the best words.

"Go on," Serena urged.

"You see, I'm a Pokemon Watcher," the boy continued.

"What's a Pokemon Watcher?" Ash wondered. Serena and Misty also tilted their heads in curiosity.

"I've heard of them," Leaf spoke up. "Pokemon Watchers are world travelers who go around looking for all kinds of Pokemon to study their characteristics and abilities. They even search for new, undiscovered Pokemon. Those were usually the guys I saw on Pokemon nature shows on TV."

"That's exactly right, though I don't have my own TV show," the boy said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Gee, I wonder why," Misty muttered sarcastically.

"Miss, I promise you when I say from the bottom of my heart that I am extremely sorry for barging in on you while you were changing. I mean it," the boy said sincerely.

Misty studied the boy with anger still on her face. He seemed to still be really nervous and in an unenviable position right now. He did appear to be genuinely sorry, and a quick glance to her left showed that there was indeed a rather large sketchbook there on the small table. Okay, so he didn't mean it just as he said. Maybe she could let him off the hook a little bit.

"Fine. It's okay. Just be more careful next time," she sighed with a huff of annoyance.

"Of course," the boy agreed with a nod.

"Even so, that doesn't explain why we caught you spying on us," Ash reminded as he crossed his arms and awaited the boy's explanation.

"I wasn't spying on you. I was studying your Pokemon," the boy corrected.

"Why were you studying our Pokemon, though?" Serena pressed.

"Well, as that young miss pointed out, as a Pokemon Watcher, I'm always studying a Pokemon's activities as best as I can. I especially get excited when I see a whole group of well trained and healthy Pokemon like all of yours. I had to get some sketches and notes of them having fun and enjoying their interactions with each other. It's not every day that I see as many Pokemon in excellent condition like yours," the boy explained.

"Oh. I see," Ash replied with a nod.

"I guess in my excitement, I forgot my manners and came off the wrong way. I truly am sorry," the boy said again.

The group figured this boy was genuine enough. The fact that he said he was a Pokemon Watcher explained a lot. At least he wasn't a creeper, after all. It was with that, the group decided to forgive him. They themselves have been in a lot of situations too that were misunderstandings so they could sympathize with him.

"Alright. We won't hold it against you, anymore," Ash said.

"Thank you," the boy replied gratefully.

"Still, there's something that stood out to me," Serena spoke up. "You said that you were studying our Pokemon because of the excellent condition they are in. How could you tell?

"I'm glad you asked!" the boy said with a smile before gesturing to Ash's Pikachu, "Take this Pikachu for instance. I haven't seen a coat this shiny on a Pikachu in a really long time. You must take great care of it!"

"Well, yeah. I love my Pikachu and my other Pokemon. I could never mistreat them," Ash replied.

"I also really like your Psyduck," the boy commented as he studied Misty's Psyduck. "It's clear that it possesses incredible psychic power because of its build."

"Its build? We are talking about the same Psyduck, right?" Misty asked incredulously.

"Oh yes! I bet you've had some great battles with it!" the boy went on.

"Well," Misty muttered sheepishly. The truth was she and the others had only seen Psyduck's powers once, and they were quite exceptional. Maybe she should try to battle with it more often to see what comes out of it. For what it lacked in intelligence, it seemed to make up for in health according to this boy.

"These Pokemon are also amazing," the Pokemon Watcher praised as he went over to Leaf's Venusaur and Serena's Charizard. "It's clear they are getting the perfect amount of vitamins, exercise, and love. In fact, all of your Pokemon are like that! You must all be wonderful Pokemon trainers!"

"Wow. Thank you," Serena said in surprise. Of course she loved and took care of her Pokemon, but to hear an expert compliment her skills like this was pretty interesting.

"In fact, you're all such great trainers, how about I apologize by taking you all out to one of the best restaurants in town!?" the teenager suggested.

The group looked at each other as they thought of the offer. To Ash, the mention of food was a no brainer, but he had to consider the girls' feelings, too. This boy admittedly wasn't creepy as they originally thought, a bit jumpy though, and he seemed to get nervous easily. That didn't make him a bad person. If they accepted his offer, that would definitely seem to make him feel better, and they could get a free meal. Everyone wins. The group nodded their heads as they gave their response.

"Sounds good…err..what's your name?" Ash asked. They had been so caught up in the tense moment that they all forgot to introduce themselves!

"Oh! I'm sorry! My name is Tracey! Tracey Sketchit!" the boy introduced.

"Heh, Tracey Sketchit, and he likes to draw," Misty mused to herself.

"Well, my name's Ash Ketchum, and this my best bud, Pikachu!" Ash introduced.

"Pikachu!" it said happily, having long lost the urge to attack Tracey.

"I'm Serena Gabena, and this is Togepi!" Serena added. The spikeball Pokemon chirped and waved its tiny arms at Tracey.

"I'm Leaf Green, and I think your hobby of Pokemon Watching is so cool!" Leaf said in a bubbly tone.

"I'm Misty Waterflower. Well met…now anyway," Misty finished.

"And these…are all of our Pokemon," Ash mentioned as he gestured to all of the Pokemon behind them. They all greeted Tracey with a cry or nod.

"If it would be okay, I would love to get the chance to study more of them and get some more great sketches," Tracey said hopefully.

"Look, this all great that we met someone new," Misty started before turning beet red and yelling, "BUT CAN YOU ALL GET OUT OF HERE SO I CAN FINISH CHANGING!?"

* * *

It turns out Tracey really knew how to pick his restaurants. Despite traveling, he seemed to know the island very well. That was some of the best food the group had eaten in quite a while. It almost rivaled Brock's cooking, and that was saying something. Tracey himself also seemed to be a nice and gentle guy now that group was getting to know him better. He had a great knowledge of Pokemon such as their favorite habitats and food, and he didn't mind sharing this information with Leaf when she showed interest in that. They were actually having a good time with this guy.

"Wow, Tracey! That was the best!" Ash complimented as he cleaned his plate.

"Yeah. Being a Pokemon Watcher, I've learned to take great notes of my surroundings for not just Pokemon but everything else, as well…except when I get a little excited," Tracey replied with an embarrassed smile.

"It's in the past now, Tracey. No need to worry about it anymore," Misty reassured him.

"So you said that you're always making sketches. May we see them, please?" Serena requested.

"Absolutely! I'd be glad to!" Tracey replied.

He then bent over in his chair and opened his backpack before taking out the large sketchbook. He then proudly handed the book to Ash and sat back to see their reactions. It always pleased him greatly when others would show interest in his work. There was still one person in particular whom he wanted to really see his sketches, though. Meeting that person is only a pipe dream, though.

As the group went through his sketches, their eyes widened in interest. These drawings were really good! Only someone with a lot of skill could pull off something like this. Most of them contained sketches of Pokemon in their natural habitat, but there were also drawings of just a great view in nature from beautiful mountains to gorgeous sunsets. Tracey must really have traveled the world to get some of these sketches. What surprised them the most was seeing Pokemon they had never seen before, ones that weren't native to the Kanto region.

"That's really impressive, Tracey," Serena said in awe.

"Have you ever thought of doing anything with this talent of yours? You could be an artist," Leaf agreed.

"Well, my dream is to be able to show my drawings to Professor Oak one day," Tracey answered.

"Professor Oak?" the group inquired at the same time.

"Definitely! He's my hero! If I could one day have him praise my sketches, I would be the happiest guy on Earth!" Tracey elaborated.

"I didn't know Professor Oak was that big of deal," Ash muttered thoughtfully.

"Yeah. We just casually called him yesterday," Serena agreed.

"Wait! What!? You mean you actually speak to Professor Oak on a regular basis!?" Tracey exclaimed.

"Well, yeah. So?" Ash shrugged.

"That's amazing! You know Professor Oak personally! That must be the greatest honor ever!" Tracey yelled in excitement as he leaned over in his chair and got in Ash's face.

"Err..what's the big deal about knowing Professor Oak?" Ash asked in confusion, leaning backwards a little to distance himself from the overexcited teenager.

"Yeah. He's a real nice guy and all, but…," Misty started before being cut off by Tracey.

"You've got to be kidding me! Professor Oak is the most respected Pokemon researcher on the planet! The fact that you can call him whenever you want is incredible! What I wouldn't give to have that opportunity!" Tracey shouted.

The group looked at each other in confusion. They knew Professor Oak was really smart and a great researcher. They never really thought of him as the best of the best, however. Was there more to this man than meets the eye? Perhaps they were taking their familiarity with Professor Oak for granted. It would probably be nice to appreciate him a lot more for all the hard work and research he does if what Tracey said was true. Maybe growing up outside of Pallet Town gave a different perspective for Tracey on Professor Oak. They wondered if they would have the same opinion if they lived somewhere else.

"Wow. I never knew this entire time," Leaf mumbled in a slightly embarrassed tone.

"Heehee! I feel so honored!" Serena agreed with her friend.

"Oh please! You've got to let me meet Professor Oak! Please! At least let me talk to him!" Tracey pleaded, getting a little hysterical.

"Wait! What?!" the group exclaimed.

"Allow me to clarify. Please let me travel with you! At least until I meet Professor Oak!" Tracey corrected.

"Hey! Wait a moment! You can't just invite yourself," Misty said in slight irritation.

"As if you're one to talk, Misty," Serena muttered as she gave her a deadpan expression, causing Misty to grin sheepishly.

"I won't be a bother at all! I'll do whatever you need me to do! Cook! Clean! Help take care of your Pokemon! You name it!" Tracey exclaimed as he clasped his hands together.

"I don't know. This is kind of sudden," Ash mumbled as he exchanged glances with Pikachu to see if it had any opinion.

"I'm so sorry! I know I've been really rude so far by asking you this, but at least think it over!" Tracey pleaded again.

The group looked at each to decide. Well, he did mention he could cook and clean. Granted, all of them except Ash could do all of those things, but it always helped to have an extra hand. Tracey also seemed to possess a great knowledge of Pokemon due to his skills as a Pokemon Watcher, sort of like Brock with his Pokemon breeding skills. Besides, the more people they traveled with, the merrier. Tracey really seemed desperate to meet Professor Oak, too. Maybe they could at least consider it.

"Well, I'll tell you what, Tracey. Let's just sleep on it tonight, and we'll give you our answer tomorrow before we head out," Ash compromised.

"In the meantime, you're welcome to stay with us in the Pokemon Center tonight," Serena offered.

"Thank you so much for at least considering me. I won't be a burden," Tracey sighed in relief, seeming to return to normal.

"Well, Serena. I guess that means you won't have Ash to yourself in the bedroom, after all," Leaf whispered in her ear, causing the girl to blush heavily again.

"Alright. That's it. Now I have to know what you all are talking about. Something tells me it involves me," Ash said in exasperation upon seeing Serena's expression again.

"Umm…I…have to go to the bathroom! I'll be right back!" Serena hurriedly exclaimed as she hastily stood up from her chair and ran off, leaving a giggling Leaf and Misty and a bewildered Ash and Tracey.

"Girls," Ash muttered with a roll of his eyes, causing Pikachu to snicker. It seemed like Ash had been saying that a lot lately. He still had a lot to learn about the mysteries of the opposite gender.

* * *

It was quite late now, around ten thirty at night. Most people had already gone to bed, but there was still one person who wasn't. It happened to be Tracey Sketchit. He sneaked out of the Pokemon Center, being careful to make as little noise as possible and headed to the Pokemon Park not far away. Thankfully, it was always open to the public so there were no set hours of operation.

As Tracey entered the forested area, he smiled when he saw the full moon giving off a nice glow to the area. He pulled out a small book light as he attached it to his sketchpad and began to draw the moon and stars above him. It was nothing new as he had done this several times before, but it always was great to draw it in a different place. It showed that no matter how far away people were, they always looked at the same moon, and he could enjoy its beauty everywhere. This was one of the times where he could enjoy how beautiful nature was.

Keeping a record of where he was drawing the moon, he labeled it "Tangelo Island" before putting in the details. It was then Tracey's mind began to wander slightly. He really was hoping that Professor Oak would one day view these sketches. With these people he just met, he might actually get that opportunity...if they accepted him that is. If they didn't, Tracey would simply thank them for the consideration and be out of their way. It would be a setback to meeting his hero, but Tracey was determined and wouldn't give up. Kanto would be his next stop anyway after the Orange Islands, but could he really just go to Pallet Town and barge into Professor Oak's lab to meet him? It would be quite rude.

It was then Tracey's good hearing picked up on the sound of grass being disturbed behind him. He turned his head and discovered it was Ash who was walking towards him with Pikachu on his shoulder. Ash reached Tracey before smiling down at the Pokemon Watcher.

"Hey there, Tracey. I saw you leaving the Pokemon Center and wondered what you were up to not to be nosy or anything," Ash said.

"None taken," Tracey said before responding, "I was just out here drawing the moon and stars above me. I always try to do it every time the moon is full like tonight. It just helps me relax, you know."

"I gotcha. Mind if I watch you draw?" Ash asked.

"Please do," Tracey replied.

Ash then sat down next to Tracey and watched his handy work. Ash knew there was no way he could draw this well even if his life depended on it. Tracey's skills at sketching truly were exceptional. He did it so naturally and flawlessly. Despite not knowing the reason for behind it, Ash knew that Professor Oak would really like these sketches if Tracey ever showed them to him.

Deciding to get to know the Pokemon Watcher better, Ash struck up a conversation. He couldn't believe he or his other friends hadn't asked it yet.

"So Tracey, what made you decide to become a Pokemon Watcher?" Ash asked.

"Well, I've always had an overwhelming fascination with Pokemon, but there was one incident which really made me want to do it," Tracey responded thoughtfully.

"What was it?" Ash asked curiously.

"It was quite a while back, actually. I was probably only about eight years old at the time," Tracey recalled as he put his pen to his chin. "There was this really bad storm where I lived, and it devastated the entire area. I remember looking around in total despair at all the damage that happened. I was walking through the nearly flattened forest nearby and happened to have my drawing pad with me, and that's when I saw it."

"Saw what?" Ash wondered as he and Pikachu tilted their heads to the side.

"I saw a small family of Marill. What was apparently their home had been destroyed by the storm, also. Despite this, they were diligently rebuilding their home. I moved on and then saw a family of Bellossom dancing serenely despite the chaos around them. There were even other wild Pokemon that were watching. I was amazed that these Pokemon could still act so naturally even though a disaster had just happened. Before I knew it, I had my drawing pad out and was sketching away. It was almost a symbol saying that no matter how bad things get, you can still make it through, and I wanted to capture that moment," Tracey explained.

"I see," Ash smiled.

"Before I knew it, I was visiting the surrounding forest where I lived every day to study the Pokemon slowly rebuilding their lives. Soon enough, after the storm's effects had blown over, I was still doing it, but this time it was to see a Pokemon's nature when there wasn't a disaster around. It then evolved into a passion, and here I am today," Tracey finished.

"I agree with you. Pokemon truly are amazing," Ash said as he scratched Pikachu's cheeks, causing it to coo in happiness.

"They are. Since then, I've devoted my life to be the best Pokemon Watcher and study a Pokemon's nature and characteristics like no other!" Tracey declared.

"Great story," Ash nodded before a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Wait a moment, Tracey. I remember you mentioning a Pokemon called Marill and Bellossom. I've never heard of those Pokemon before. Where are you from?"

"Oh. I'm from the Johto region, Azalea Town to be exact," Tracey responded.

"Ah, the Johto region," Ash mused. "Being from the Kanto region, I bet it has all kinds of cool Pokemon there that I've never seen before."

"There are a lot of Pokemon there that aren't native to Kanto," Tracey agreed. "I actually have one with me right now, a Marill. It was the first Pokemon I caught as a symbol of the Pokemon that made me think about my career."

"That's so cool! Can I see it!?" Ash asked eagerly, the thought of seeing a brand new Pokemon exciting him to no end.

"Of course," Tracey replied before bringing out a pokeball. "Come on out, Marill!"

A blue mouse Pokemon appeared from the pokeball. It had a very round body with short arms and legs. It also had a long black tail that ended with a small blue ball. Upon seeing the Pokemon, Ash immediately took out his national pokedex to scan it.

"Marill, the mouse Pokemon. It's tail can act like a buoy and allow it to swim without sinking," said the helpful machine.

"That's so cool. What other Pokemon do you have?" Ash asked.

"So far, the only other Pokemon I have is a Venonat," Tracey answered as he brought out the bug Pokemon.

"A Venonat," Ash mused as he saw the pre-evolved form of Venomoth.

Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and greeted the two new Pokemon. The others exchanged their greetings and began to converse with each other. It wasn't too long before the three ran a short distance away to play together despite the late hour.

"Well, our Pokemon sure seem to be hitting it off," Ash commented as he watched.

"They sure do," Tracey agreed.

"Well, you've said your dream so I'll tell you mine," Ash said before continuing, "My dream is to become the world's greatest Pokemon Master!

"That's quite ambitious of you," Tracey said with a nod. "Have you competed in any tournaments so far?"

"Just one," Ash replied before stating proudly. "I participated in the Kanto Pokemon League and placed in the Top Four!"

"Hey, now! That's really good!" Tracey commented, looking quite impressed. "I bet your friends and family were really proud of you!"

"They were," Ash agreed. "I couldn't ask for greater friends than I have now. We all have different goals but are as close as can be."

"Oh? You mean Serena, Leaf, and Misty aren't aiming to be Pokemon Masters?" Tracey inquired as he tilted his head in interest.

"Nah. Leaf is wanting to fill up the pokedex and get the best data on all types of Pokemon. Misty is aiming to be the world's greatest water Pokemon trainer, and Serena is…," Ash trailed.

"Serena is…?" Tracey urged slightly.

"She's having a pretty difficult time deciding what her true calling in life is. When we were traveling in the Kanto region, she competed in the new Battle Chateau and conquered it," Ash elaborated.

"That's really impressive, too," Tracey nodded.

"Yeah, but now that she's through with it, she doesn't know what she wants to do again. I'm not worried, though. Serena's a great person, and I know for a fact she'll find something out there that's perfect for her!" Ash stated.

"Everybody has their calling in life," Tracey agreed as he went back to sketching. "Some people are called to be Pokemon Watchers like me or Pokemon Masters like you. Some are called to be Pokemon breeders or doctors, you name it. I don't know Serena like you do, but I do know that there is definitely something that she'll do fantastic at when she finds it!"

"I think Serena needs to hear those words, too," Ash smiled before adding. "I'm glad we had this conversation, Tracey. It lets us understand what type of people we both are, and you're actually a pretty cool guy!"

"Heheh! Thanks!" Tracey replied, getting flustered at the praise. That was something he always got nervous about.

It was then both boys heard the sound of Pikachu calling out to them. They looked over and saw the yellow rodent beckoning them over and pointing out to the sea. Marill and Venonat had a fixed gaze and were staring hard at something.

"What's up, Pikachu?" Ash asked as he and Tracey went over to it.

"Marill? Venonat? Do you see something?" Tracey asked, too.

"Venooonat!" Venonat replied as it bounced up and down. Marill and Pikachu pointed their short arms at something in the ocean.

Ash and Tracey both squinted and could definitely make a figure off in the distance. It was really hard to tell what it was, though, due to it being nighttime. Tracey pulled his binoculars out of his backpack for a better look and raised his eyebrows in alarm at what it was.

"What is it, Tracey?" Ash wondered.

"There's a Lapras out there, and it appears to be hurt!" Tracey answered in panic before putting away his binoculars and hurrying off towards the beach.

"Hey! Wait up!" Ash called as he dashed off after Tracey with Pikachu, Venonat, and Marill behind him.

* * *

The Lapras was slowly making its way to the beach as it grimaced in pain. Not only that, it appeared to be crying, as well. It was making whimpering sounds once it reached the shore before resting its head on the sand. It was finally out of harm's way, and had reached the shore. It could now finally rest and hopefully recover from its wounds. That didn't take away the fact that it lost its family in the chaos. It was so scared and alone right now. It really wanted its parents.

It lifted its head up at the sound of footsteps and put on a look of fright as it saw a human approaching it. Oh no. Here was a human who was coming to try to capture it. If they did that, it would never find its family again. Then it really would be alone forever. The worst part was that Lapras didn't think it had the strength to fight back if a pokeball was thrown at it. Even if it did, the human would just attack it until it really couldn't fight back.

Upon seeing the Lapras' scared expression, Tracey slowed down and took small steps towards it to ease its fears. Ash caught up to Tracey now, and the teenage boy held out a hand to signal Ash to stop, as well. Understanding the message, Ash, Pikachu, Marill, and Venonat slowed down their steps, too. As Tracey and Ash got closer, they could see that this Lapras was a little smaller than a normal-sized Lapras. It couldn't be fully grown at all and had to be only an infant.

"It's okay, Lapras. I promise we won't hurt you," Tracey said soothingly as he made his way over to it. The fact that Lapras was a baby meant he had to be extra gentle with it.

"What do you suppose happened?" Ash asked quietly to keep the tension down. He didn't want to raise his voice and startle the Lapras.

"I don't know," Tracey replied in bewilderment.

Despite their attempts to show Lapras they meant no harm, it didn't let up on its fear. It never had much interactions with humans since it was born, but it knew enough about them. They could be pretty cruel sometimes. For all it knew, they could be pretending to be nice to it to get it to let up on its guard so they could do something to it later. Where were its parents when it needed them?

Knowing that Lapras wasn't going to allow them to get any closer, Tracey studied it from a distance and could see wounds on its body. It had clearly been attacked by something, but what? Furthermore, where were its parents? Making up his mind, Tracey knew that they weren't going to be able to treat Lapras unless they got it to the Pokemon Center.

"Here, Ash. I'm going to get Nurse Joy. Get Lapras to drink this medicine," Tracey told him as he handed Ash a potion.

"I don't know, Tracey. I don't think Lapras trusts me," Ash said nervously.

"You're going to be a Pokemon Master, aren't you? I know you'll find a way. I'll be right back!" Tracey said as he ran off towards the Pokemon Center.

"Wait, Tracey!" Ash called after him, but to no avail. It was now just him, Pikachu, Venonat, Marill, and the Lapras.

He stared uncertainly at the potion in his hand before turning back to the Lapras. It still had its eyes fixed solely on Ash to see what he would do. Ash sighed before slowly making his way towards Lapras as carefully as he could. Despite this, he could still see Lapras tense up despite its injured state.

"Come on, Lapras. Will you please drink this potion? It will make you feel better," Ash said gently.

Lapras immediately shook its head as it turned around and prepared to leave. Sure, it was still injured and wanted to rest tremendously, but there was no way it could do that if humans were around. It needed to find someplace where it could be alone and gather its thoughts about what to do. It hurt so bad, though! It didn't want to swim anymore, but it had to in order to get away!

"Wait Lapras!" Ash called upon seeing what it was trying to do. He then turned to the three Pokemon beside him. "Try to reason with it, you guys. Maybe it will listen to you because you're Pokemon."

Pikachu, Marill, and Venonat nodded their heads as they ran after the Lapras and shouted after it before it got too far away. Upon hearing their voices, Lapras came to a stop and turned its head towards them.

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu called.

"Laaaaaaa," Lapras weakly cried back.

"Mariiiiiill!" Marill tried this time.

Sure, they were Pokemon just like it was, but they were human trained Pokemon. They belong to them. In Lapras' eyes, they weren't too much better. They could be in cahoots with this human to try to attack it when it let its guard down. It couldn't exactly trust them.

"Pika! Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu stated firmly. It was trying its hardest to convince the Lapras that Ash was truly sincere in his wish to help it.

Lapras softened its hard gaze and looked at Ash. He could see the boy holding the potion in his arms like it was some valuable object and had pure determination in his eyes. It didn't appear to be the kind that meant he was attempting to harm it. It looked a lot more like how this Pikachu was describing it…absolutely sincere. Maybe it was making a big mistake and being naïve, but Lapras was so tired now, it just didn't have the strength anymore to find another island. It's not like whatever was in this boy's hand could make it any worse.

Lapras approached the shore once more to show Ash it was willing to take the potion, but it still never took its eyes off him. Understanding that he couldn't make any wrong moves or else, Ash cautiously neared the Lapras and put on the most reassuring smile he could. Lapras didn't appear to look any more relaxed, however. Ash knew he would have to prove himself through actions. This baby Lapras was on high alert right now.

"Here you go," Ash said soothingly as he outstretched his hands to the Lapras and pointed the spout to it.

Lapras hesitated for only a moment before it leaned forward and took a small sip of the potion. It coughed slightly at the taste but took another one regardless. Well, at least the Pokemon and human were truthful that it wouldn't hurt it. Right now, though, it just needed sleep. Lapras collapsed on the sand in exhaustion before drifting off.

"Lapras!" Ash cried out in alarm.

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu reassured Ash.

"You're saying Lapras is fine? It just went to sleep?" Ash translated.

"Chu!" Pikachu nodded with Venonat and Marill agreeing.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. That was good. The potion was going to do its work. Now Lapras was going to be able to sleep it off and rest a little bit. He heard running behind him and turned to find Tracey returning with Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy. The three were carrying a rather large stretcher to transport the infant but still large Lapras more easily.

"Did you get it the medicine?" Tracey asked as he and the others attempted to push Lapras on to the stretcher. Waking up due to the chaos, Lapras turned and saw the three humans pushing on it. Realizing that they were only trying to help it and getting more reassurance from the Pokemon, Lapras scooted forward onto the stretcher for them. It was too tired to resist and now just needed to go along with it.

"Yeah. It took it and then collapsed in exhaustion afterwards," Ash reported.

"Good. I knew you could do it," Tracey approved as the four humans attempted to lift the stretcher.

They let out a huge groan as they lifted the extremely heavy Pokemon. Thank goodness it was a baby. There would be no way they could carry an adult Lapras. They could barely hold this one! They slowly made their way over to the Pokemon Center as quickly but carefully as they could to not disturb Lapras. They had to take a few breaks along the way, but finally made it. Now they could figure out exactly what was wrong with Lapras.

* * *

"I'm glad you woke us up for this. Good thing we didn't miss it," Serena mumbled sleepily.

The whole group was awake now and standing in the Pokemon Center lobby. It was well past midnight, and they were pretty tired, but they were all worried for the Lapras, particularly Ash and Tracey. The two boys had woken the girls up when they made it back to the Pokemon Center, but it took a little while to register to them what was going on. They were still in their night clothes.

"What do you supposed happened to the Lapras? Why is it alone?" Leaf muttered before yawning.

"Many Lapras travel the Orange Islands around this time of the year. My guess is that this one was separated from its parents," Tracey answered as he and the others watched Nurse Joy treat Lapras in a large pool outside.

"So what could cause it to be separated, and how was it injured?" Ash asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine about its injuries, but there was rather large storm a few days ago. The chaos may have caused it to be separated," Tracey replied.

"That's so sad. It's a baby, and it doesn't even have its parents with it," Misty muttered in sadness.

"Yeah. It would be just like if Togepi was separated from Ash and me," Serena commented as she looked down at the spikeball Pokemon asleep in her arms.

"I wonder if Pikachu would be able to get any information from Lapras when it feels better," Ash mused as he looked at his rodent partner.

"Pika Pi," it shrugged in response. It would try, but there were no promises.

Nurse Joy continued to work on Lapras at least another hour. It was really tempting for the group to fall asleep, but they forced themselves to stay awake. They didn't want to go to bed until they knew Lapras would be just fine. It was sort of the same for Ash, Serena, and Misty when they stayed awake for Charmander at the Pokemon Center awhile back. Granted, Lapras didn't appear to be in a life threatening situation like Charmander, but it was still in a bad situation.

Ash and Tracey stared out the window at Lapras in pity. They were completely transfixed on Nurse Joy treating it and hadn't moved from that spot and only turning when they were addressed by one of the girls. Ash and Tracey's eyes lit up as they saw Nurse Joy and Chansey finally wipe their foreheads to head back inside. As soon as she stepped in, she was immediately greeted by the group.

"So how's Lapras?" Ash asked, getting straight to the point.

"I'm pleased to say that Lapras will be just fine! We were able to treat its injuries, and now it's sleeping," Nurse Joy reported.

"Sounds good," Misty mumbled as she gave a stretch and a yawn.

It was then Ash and Tracey realized how tired they were, too. Despite being a Pokemon Watcher and usually staying up to sketch nature like tonight, it was even late for him. Ash and the others were usually in bed just after ten. Their eyes began to droop as they and the others turned to head for their rooms and get some sleep. They would determine what to do with Lapras in the morning.

Unbeknownst to all of them, Lapras had seen those two humans watching it the entire time it was being treated, despite pretending not to. Being a baby, it was alert in all of its surroundings and noticed things like that. That was strange, and they even seemed really worried about it judging their expressions. Did they genuinely care for its well-being? Did it judge humans too quickly?

* * *

It was almost ten in the morning before the group got up. Staying up with Lapras interfered with their sleep schedule so they slept in a little bit. Still, as long as Lapras was okay, they were fine with staying up late. The only thing that was left to do was to decide what to do with Lapras.

"I certainly don't want to just turn Lapras loose in the ocean when it's just a baby. It could get hurt again," Serena said worriedly.

"That's true, so I guess simply releasing it isn't an option," Ash agreed.

"We could try to leave it with Nurse Joy. She would definitely take care of it," Leaf suggested.

"That's true, but there's a chance that it's family won't be around until next year. It may never see them for a long time, if ever," Tracey rebutted.

"I guess we'll have to help it look for its family," Ash muttered thoughtfully as he crossed his arms.

"How do expect us to do that, Ash? We've already got a full schedule in the Orange Islands and Professor Oak is waiting on the GS ball. Who knows how long it could take us to find its parents," Misty reminded.

"I guess…we'll have to take it with us," Serena said as she and the others cast a look at the Lapras outside. For some reason, it was watching them, too. Not fear, but curiosity, as if it knew they were talking about it.

"I don't know. Do you think this Lapras would want to come with us?" Leaf wondered.

"It would have to. There would be no other way for us to safely search for its family, but I think we should at least figure out how Lapras feels about this," Ash decided before looking at Pikachu. "Will you talk to Lapras for us?"

"Chu!" Pikachu nodded.

With that, the group headed outside to where Lapras was waiting for them in the pool. It still never took their eyes off of them. It was a little unnerving to them, but they knew that this Lapras was far more scared of them than they were of it. They just hoped that they could get Lapras to trust them, but still, who would be the one of the group to watch over it?

Once they made it outside, Pikachu immediately made its way over to Lapras and began to talk to it. The yellow mouse Pokemon was making all sorts of gestures and frequently pointing back to the humans. Each time it did so, Lapras would look up at them and nod its head. Pikachu then smiled at the Lapras as it turned back to stare at the humans before it. They all thought it had worked until Lapras did something unexpected. It shot a small stream of water at Pikachu, completely soaking it, before diving underwater and out of sight.

"Piiiiiiika," the drenched Pokemon moaned.

"Are you alright, Pikachu?" Ash asked, a little flabbergasted that Lapras didn't listen to it.

"Chuuuu," it nodded before shaking itself dry.

"What did Lapras say, Pikachu?" Serena inquired next.

Pikachu imitated a frightened expression before putting on a firm one. It then pointed at all of five humans in front of it and shook its head.

"So what you're saying is that Lapras is resolute in being afraid of people due to its infancy, and there are too many of us here so it's frightened even more," Ash guessed.

"Chu!" Pikachu confirmed.

"I guess that means there will have to be less of us if we want Lapras to listen," Misty said sadly.

"I think it should be Ash and Tracey who talk to it because they're the ones who actually helped it on the beach," Serena suggested.

"That's fine, but how are we going to get Lapras to come out from underneath the pool?" Leaf asked before she and everyone else gasped as Ash jumped into the pool.

"Ash! What are you doing?! Are you crazy?!" Misty yelled.

"If Lapras won't come us, I'll come to it," Ash answered before diving underwater.

"I think Ash might have the right idea," Tracey agreed before diving in the pool after Ash, but actually making sure to take off his shoes and socks first.

"Will they be okay in there?" Leaf asked worriedly.

"I know they will. I don't think Lapras will attack them. They just have to show it that they care, just like we've done in the past," Serena replied.

Ash and Tracey made their way through the pool as they looked for Lapras. Thankfully, it wasn't too hard to find because it was rather large. It was sitting at the bottom of the pool directly in the center of it. It tilted its head in confusion as it saw the two humans it met yesterday approaching it. What were they doing? Not wanting to find out, Lapras turned around and began swimming away.

Ash attempted to shout after it but then remembered he was underwater so all that came out were bubbles. Tracey turned to Ash and frowned that Lapras still didn't seem willing to listen. They would just have to keep trying. Ash nodded his head in response as they swam after the transport Pokemon.

Lapras turned around and saw that the humans were still chasing it. Why were they continuing to follow it? What were they wanting to do? As Lapras studied their faces, they didn't seem to hold any malice. If anything, they only seemed to show concern. Was it a trick? Were they only pretending to worry so they could get it? Sure, they helped it last night, but now that it was feeling better, why were they still after it?

Despite this, Lapras still turned around and continued swimming away until it was in the furthest corner of the pool. It then turned to see if the humans would still come after it. To its great surprise, they were. It was almost interesting. They had solid determination to reach it, but why? What could they gain by wanting to help it? Wouldn't there be some ulterior motive in it all?

Just before Lapras could see if the humans would go any further, they began to lose air. Their faces puffed up as their lungs pleaded for oxygen. Seeing no other choice, they began swimming towards the pool's surface as Lapras watched them. Would they come back after it? Lapras didn't know. Still, it really wanted to see its parents again, and these people really seemed to want to help it. Lapras knew for a fact it wouldn't find them if it stayed in this pool forever. Also, even if it was back in the ocean, it would be by itself with no company. Lapras didn't like the idea of being alone. Deciding to see what the humans would do, Lapras swam after them.

Ash and Tracey both broke the water's surface and began gasping for air. Going after Lapras certainly didn't go as well as they had hoped. It was still scared of them despite their attempts to help it.

"Oh, Lapras. Can't it just see we're trying to help it?" Ash asked rhetorically.

"Once a baby Pokemon has been set in its ways, it's really hard to change its mind. It must have had a bad experience with something or someone at some point," Tracey commented.

They then heard the sound of water being disturbed. The five humans turned in its direction and saw Lapras had broken the surface, as well. It was looking at them with curiosity rather than fear again. They must be pretty determined to chase it around the pool like that. No one would try as hard as they were if they were attempting to harm it.

"Please believe us, Lapras. We only want to help you find your family," Ash said to it.

"Laaaaaaa," it cried back.

"I know you haven't had much dealings with people, and we may be scary to you. There are good people in this world, too. We won't be able to help you if you don't let us," Ash continued.

"That's right, Lapras. It's true we don't understand what it's like to be separated from your parents like that. It truly must have been a tragic experience for you, but you have to trust us," Tracey added.

Lapras contemplated what the humans were telling it. The transport Pokemon turned around in the direction of the ocean and stared off in the distance. It tried to listen for any sound of its family but heard nothing. They were obviously a long distance away. Were they looking for it, too? Would they ever find it if it stayed put this whole time, or would it find them if it looked for them, also? These humans could definitely help it and keep it company, but did it want to take that chance?

"If you come with us, Lapras, we promise we'll do everything we can to find your family," Ash said.

"That's right. This is still the season when schools of Lapras are around the area so your family is still around somewhere. They aren't gone forever," Tracey told it.

Lapras turned to stare reluctantly out to sea once more. If there was even a chance that it could still find its parents, it should take it. It will trust these humans. They did seem genuinely concerned about it and did help treat it. Lapras then turned around and nodded its head.

"Awesome, Lapras! I knew you'd come around!" Ash smiled before continuing, "Will you trust one of us to carry you in a pokeball while we search?"

Lapras recoiled slightly at that. Upon seeing its expression, Ash sighed.

"It's the only way we'll be able to search much faster. It would be a great honor to have you be with our group Lapras. I promise that if at any point we come across your herd, we'll make sure you're there to greet them. At least you'll have company with us and our Pokemon in the meantime," Ash reasoned.

The infant Lapras did see the sense in Ash's words. It knew there was a chance it wouldn't see its parents in a long time. It knew about how humans capture Pokemon and keep them. These humans, however, are promising to release it when they find its parents, whenever that may be, and it wouldn't be lonely in the meantime, either. It needed to trust them.

"Thank you, Lapras!" Tracey exclaimed before turning to Ash. "Well, Ash. I guess you got a new Pokemon!"

"Wait. What do you mean by me? I think you would be better suited taking care of the Lapras being a Pokemon Watcher and all," Ash muttered in confusion.

"I don't think so. Don't forget that you were the one who got Lapras to take its medicine and convince it to trust us," Tracey reminded.

"I think that judging the way it's looking at you that Lapras agrees, too," Serena smiled from beside the pool.

"Is that true, Lapras?" Ash asked it.

"Laaaaaaa!" it confirmed. If there was one person of the group who showed the most concern for it, it would be this boy.

"How can I say no to that?" Ash grinned as he took out an empty pokeball and held it in front of him. "Are you ready, Lapras?"

Upon seeing the transport Pokemon's nod, Ash pressed the central button to recall it.

"In that case, return, Lapras!" Ash called as the red beam shot out and pulled Lapras inside. The pokeball immediately dinged signaling Ash's new capture.

"Congratulations, Ash!" Leaf told him with a grin.

Ash smiled back at her before turning to the pokeball. "Don't worry, Lapras! I promise we'll find your family one day."

The pokeball then teleported out of his hands to go back to Professor Oak's lab. Ash made a mental note to keep Lapras in his party at all times. There was no way to tell when they would see its family. The group needed to be prepared at all times for when that time came.

"Hey, Ash. I'm surprised about something," Misty spoke up.

"What's that?" Ash wondered as he turned to glance at her.

"Normally when you capture a Pokemon, you twirl around and shout at the top of your lungs about your new capture. I haven't seen you do that lately," Misty elaborated.

Ash shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, I don't feel the need to anymore. Everyone already knows about the capture I made. Don't get me wrong. I'm still just as excited as I was when I got the Pokemon, but looking back, it seems kind of silly."

"Pikachu seems to want to fill that role anyway," Serena said and pointed to the yellow rodent beside the pool who was already holding its tiny fingers in a V shape. If its maturing trainer didn't want to, it would gladly do it instead!

Maybe it was a sign that Ash was slowly growing up, after all.

* * *

It was now time for the group to depart Tangelo Island. Their first stop afterward would be Mikan Island. Not only was it the closest island to them, but they had learned from Nurse Joy that one of the Orange Crew members lived there. Ash would get the chance to challenge them right off the bat which made him quite excited. Talk about convenient.

"Alright! So we've got everything we need?" Leaf asked as they stood on the shoreline.

"Yep! I guess I'll go ahead and call out my…," Misty began.

"Wait! Please not your Gyarados!" Ash cried.

"Why not?! How else are we supposed to get there!?" Misty angrily retorted. "Don't forget that the ferry to Mikan Island doesn't leave for another few days! Don't you want to challenge the Orange Crew, Ash Ketchum!?"

The group sighed upon hearing that. Misty was right. Tangelo Island was so busy that it had many ferries to many different islands on a daily basis. Sadly, it wasn't large enough support all of the Orange Archipelago. It could be days at a time until ferries to particular islands could open up. It seemed like they would have to get used to being seasick at sea for a while on Misty's Gyarados. If only there was another Pokemon that could transport them more…smoothly.

That's when a lightbulb went off in Ash's head.

"I've got it! Lapras!" Ash suddenly shouted.

"Lapras?" Serena questioned.

"Of course! I bet Lapras can transport us between islands! Not to mention, with it out of its pokeball every time we're at sea, that just means we can look for its family, too!" Ash explained.

"I think that's a great idea, Ash!" Leaf agreed.

"Come on out, Lapras!" Ash called as he released the transport Pokemon in the water before saying, "Hey, Lapras. Would you mind if we rode on you while traveling between islands. That way, we can look for you family along the way."

"Laaaaaa!" the Pokemon cried as it turned around to let the group on. They were doing it a favor by searching for its clan, so it would do them a favor and let them ride it.

"You're the best! Thanks, Lapras!" Ash replied with a thumbs up.

With that, the group climbed on the Pokemon's back. Surprisingly, despite being a baby, there was still enough room for them all. They couldn't walk around freely, but there would be no need to. As long as they stayed seated on Lapras, there were no worries.

"This is actually pretty comfortable," Serena smiled.

"Priiiii!" Togepi agreed with its mommy despite not feeling Lapras itself.

"I know. I could take a nap on it," Leaf agreed.

Even Misty had to admit that this was a lot more comfortable than the hard scales of her Gyarados. She would never admit it, but she was glad that they weren't riding her Gyarados, either. Give her the smooth and relaxing ride of a Lapras any day.

The group was just about to depart when they saw one person still had yet to get on. They turned and saw Tracey still on the beach simply standing there, watching them. He had a small smile on his face before speaking up.

"Best of luck in your adventures, guys! It was nice meeting you!" he called.

"Hey, Tracey! What are you doing just standing there?! You're coming with us, aren't you?!" Ash shouted.

"Huh?! You mean…" Tracey started.

"Of course! We really got you to know you during the incident with Lapras! Not to mention that I think you're really cool guy after talking with you last night!" Ash replied.

"The girls don't mind, either?" Tracey wondered as he looked back and forth between them.

"Of course not, Tracey. We would love to have you come with us!" Serena told him.

"I think Ash needs another guy in our group to keep him sane!" Leaf grinned, causing Ash to blush.

"Yeah. Come on, you pervert," Misty smirked playfully.

Tracey chuckled at the last part before hopping on Lapras and making himself comfortable. He couldn't believe it. They were actually letting him come along. Not only had he made some new friends, but they promised that he could get to meet his hero, Professor Oak, by coming with them. It was a dream come true!

"Thank you so much, every one! This really made my day!" Tracey thanked them.

"Our pleasure, Tracey! I bet we'll all be great friends in no time!" Serena replied.

"Well, I guess we're ready! Full speed ahead to Mikan Island!" Ash told Lapras.

The transport Pokemon let out a cry before setting out. The group could immediately tell that this was a lot better than riding a Gyarados. It was so much more comfortable and smoother. It was almost like they were on a cruise. The crisp, ocean breeze blew through the air as they moved along. Lapras was going at the perfect speed.

Now their adventures in the Orange Islands could truly begin. They found a new friend in Tracey, and a new Pokemon in Lapras whom they promised to help. The first place would be Mikan Island where Ash's first attempt at an Orange Crew member would take place. He was super pumped up to try this new league! They couldn't wait to see what awaited them there!

"Well, Lapras! I gotta say! You sure do make for a great transporter!" Ash told it with a grin.

Lapras turned around before smirking playfully at Ash. Upon seeing what was coming, Ash's face put on a nervous look. Lapras swung is head around until it collided with Ash and knocked him into the ocean, causing the others to laugh. It seemed even sweet, infant Pokemon like Lapras had a mischievous side.

* * *

 **The next chapter starts the Orange League. The Mikan Island Gym will be very different compared to canon, or most of it anyway. I'll see you all on August 5 with the new chapter so say tuned. Thanks for all of the reviews and support and people who read the last story who moved over to read this sequel also. Hopefully, this arc won't take as long. I'm already a third done writing it lol. I'll probably have a new poll up soon, maybe by the next chapter so be on the look at for it!**

 **Chapter 7: The Mikan Island Races!**

 **Answering the Questions:**

 _Will ash and serena give up togepi like misty did in hoenn?_

 ** _I don't know yet._**

 _Will Leaf be with the group during the events of The Power Of One?_

 ** _Maybe. I'm needing her for something in the Power of One, but I may simply give that role to Misty, also._**

 _Will The Power Of One happen when Ash has all four badges for the league or will it happen when he's halfway?_

 ** _All four badges. The water Pokemon tournament will be after he has two badges._**

 _Will the Whirl Cup still happen despite the Water Pokemon tournament being in this arc?  
_

 ** _Yes._**

 _Will any of the fillers *A Way Off Day Off, etc.* be adapted in this story?_

 ** _No._**

 _Why didn't the group decide to ride Pidgeot and Fearow to reach the island?_

 ** _Because the Pokemon aren't big enough to carry that many people._**

 _Will you include a chapter on the pink Pokemon island?_

 ** _No, but there will be a reference to it. In truth, the Pokemon on that island are completely normal and only the berries make them pink. Not really worth a whole chapter, and the Pokemon would simply go back to normal colors if the group caught one being deprived of the berries._**

 _Wi_ _ll the gang switch between riding Lapras and Gyarados or just stick with Lapras?_

 ** _Stick with Lapras._**

 _Will we see a johto gym leader in this story?_

 ** _No._**

 _How far apart are the gym challenges going to be from one battle to the next._

 ** _Two to three at the most. The biggest gap will be between the second and third badge when the water Pokemon tournament is. Probably the only time where three chapters are in between them._**

 _How many times will Serena be doing pokevision this arc?_

 ** _There's a whole chapter dedicated to it, and it does a lot for Serena._**

 _Are you going to give us your own interpretation of why Brock comes back in Johto?  
_

 ** _Yes, but it won't be told until later on. Brock won't be ready to talk about it for a while._**

 _When will Serena's Pokevision start?_

 ** _Chapter 8._**

 _Will Miette make a reappearance?_

 _ **Eh. Highly unlikely, but you never know. Since Ash and Serena are dating, there really isn't a point for Miette to appear since that's people's main appeal to her is that she teases Serena about her crush.**_

 _So if Brock is going to try to stick with Suzy, then what's going to happening to Lucy?_

 ** _I don't know. She may never meet Brock in this fic, and when did I ever say Brock would end up with Suzy? That's just one of the three "perfect girls" for him, and he's with Professor Ivy right now._**


	7. The Mikan Island Races!

**A/N: Well, here's my interpretation of the first of the Orange League battles. They are all different in some way. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. Feedback for some type of gym battle is always appreciated!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 7: The Mikan Island Races!

 _The Orange Crew._

 _They were said to be some of the toughest trainers around. While one had to meet certain qualifications to be a gym leader, they would really have to stand out to be selected for the Orange Crew. The reason was they did a lot more than just have their Pokemon battle each other. Every single one of them had a special twist to their battles which really tested the bond and friendship between trainer and Pokemon, and even Pokemon and Pokemon for a couple of them._

 _An ordinary trainer could never win against them. It takes a special trainer to beat all of them and qualify for the Orange League. The Orange League itself was slightly different from the ordinary tournament. Any trainer who managed to qualify in that six month period, however few, were pitted against each other in a tournament. However, the winner didn't receive any sort of trophy like in any other type of league. It means they only will receive a chance at winning the Orange League._

 _They still had one more challenge to face. It was the Orange League champion. If the Orange Crew was hard, this person was even harder. Some people never even manage to beat his first Pokemon, let alone make it to his last. In fact, on average, the Orange League calculates around one win every five years. Challenging the Orange Crew and Orange League champion was not for the average trainer._

 _Who are these incredibly strong trainers? Their names are Cissy, Danny, Rudy, Luana, and their champion: Drake. They await their next challenger. Who has the tenacity and strength to defeat them all?_

 _XXX_

"Wow. That was rather mysterious," Ash commented as he finished reading from the guidebook about the Orange Crew.

"I'll say. It read more like a narrative than a guide," Leaf agreed. She was leaning to the side so she could read along with Ash.

"I'll say one thing. The guidebook is right about there being an average of one win every five years. That really was the last time someone conquered the Orange Crew," Tracey said.

"That must have been some trainer," Ash mused.

"He was, and he was just as mysterious. They say that when he won, he simply accepted his trophy and left for a new destination without a word. No one knows where he went. They never even got his name or his picture," Tracey told them.

"Sounds like a jerk if you ask me," Misty mumbled, clearly unimpressed with the previous winner's seemingly cold attitude.

"Well, if it's been five years since the last winner, that means the Orange League is due for another one! That winner is going to be me!" Ash declared as he stood up on Lapras, but stumbled a bit as the transport Pokemon passed over a rather rough wave.

"Careful, Ash. I know this a bit better than being on a Gyarados' back, but it's still unstable," Serena told him with a small smile.

"I know Lapras would never let anything happen to me. You would catch me, wouldn't you?" Ash asked Lapras as he stroked its neck.

"Laaaaaa!" it cried in agreement.

Despite only knowing Ash for a short amount of time, Lapras had grown rather fond of him. He was so nice to it and frequently let it take breaks into between islands so it could rest from all the people it was carrying. Then he would feed it a nice treat before they moved off again. One would think that it would take a long time to reach a different island, but Lapras made up for it by moving quickly. Evening was approaching, and the group was just able to spot Mikan Island in the distance.

"There it is, guys. It's Mikan Island,and that's where I'll win my first Orange League Badge," Ash stated as he clenched his fists in excitement.

"Someone's confident," Misty smirked.

"Of course! They said in the guidebook that only trainers with great bonds with their Pokemon would be able to beat them. My Pokemon and I have done everything together! There's no way we can lose!" Ash said.

"I don't think that's exactly what it said," Misty muttered under her breath.

"I know you'll do great, Ash!" Serena told him as she began rub his shoulders to relax him. Pikachu held onto Togepi in the meantime.

As Serena did so, she noticed something rather odd. Weren't Ash's shoulders usually extremely small? Did they widen slightly since they started their journey? Did he grow a little bit of muscle since being a Pokemon trainer? Was it because of all the exercise he got now? The thought of Ash becoming strong and holding her in his arms made her blush, and she quickly let go to avoid drawing attention.

"Ah! That felt great, Serena! Thanks!" Ash smiled, not having noticed her reaction.

"You're welcome, Ash!" Serena replied as she glanced to the side to hide her burning face.

She did this unsuccessfully as Ash noticed it. Deciding not to ask as it would clearly make Serena uncomfortable, Ash took to simply looking at her. She looked so great right now with the wind going through her honey blonde hair. Her sparkling blue eyes fit well with the ocean, too. Ash continued down past her neck and…woah! Ash quickly averted his eyes and blushed furiously. Had Serena always not been…flat around a certain area? Ash mentally kicked himself for feeling like some kind of pervert. Sure, Serena was his girlfriend, but he felt so indecent. The best thing to do would be to forget it ever happened!

Leaf, Misty, Tracey, Pikachu, Togepi, and even Lapras watched the two furiously blushing preteens with amusement. Lapras and Togepi didn't quite understand and thought the two just had funny expression on their faces. The others did and smirked. They could only imagine what was going through Ash and Serena's heads right now.

"Um…well…full speed ahead to Mikan Island, Lapras!" Ash shouted, eager to get off the transport Pokemon all of the sudden.

* * *

Once the group made it onshore, Ash and Serena had returned to normal expressions. Thankfully, nobody was questioning them right now. Ash took out his pokeball and held it out in front of Lapras.

"Thanks for the awesome ride, Lapras. Take a good rest," Ash told it as he recalled the transport Pokemon.

The group then turned to look at the island before them. This island was nowhere near as big or lively as Tangelo Island, but there were a few businesses from what the group could see. That meant there had to be a Pokemon Center somewhere, too. The first thing on the agenda, however, was to find someplace to eat. The group hadn't had anything since leaving Tangelo Island that morning.

They figured that it wouldn't be too hard to find something here. Truthfully, they would have anything at the moment so they settled on small café along the main path they led away from the beach and into town. It had a cozy feel to it and sounded like the perfect place to relax. As the group entered, there only seemed to be two other occupants, a teenage girl and a young boy. It was a little after the normal eating time so that wasn't too surprising.

The group found a large booth on the same side as the other two occupants and sat down. It felt so relaxing to sit the right way now. Lapras was infinitely more comfortable than Gyrados, but even seated so close together for long had made them slightly restless. A waitress soon came by and took their drink orders before hastily going back to the kitchen.

"I've got to say, I'm really enjoying myself so far!" Leaf said to strike up a conversation.

"I know, right! The Orange Islands are…," Ash was about to reply, but stopped as he felt something hit the back of his head. He quickly glanced around for anything that could have committed the deed but found nothing.

"What's wrong, Ash?" Serena asked him.

"Uh, nothing," Ash replied before shrugging and turning around again. No sooner than ten seconds later that Ash felt something strange hit his head again. This time, he rubbed his hands around his head wildly to find out what hit him. Ash soon found his answer. Two small spitballs fell from his hair and into his hands.

"Ewwwww," Misty muttered.

Ash quickly shook his hands of the disgusting paper. Knowing it wasn't any of his friends, Ash turned around to glare at the only other people in the restaurant. It had to be one of them. Despite this, both the teenage girl and the boy appeared to not notice Ash's hostile expression and were minding their own business. So they wanted to play games, did they?

"Just try to ignore it, Ash," Serena told him gently and rubbed his hand with her own, but not the part where the spitballs were at seconds before.

"Pikachu, keep watch for me," Ash whispered to the rodent, to which it nodded.

With that, the raven-haired boy turned back around to converse with his friends while Pikachu peeked around the booth at the others without them noticing. It narrowed its eyes as it saw the boy glance up at Ash when his sister was busy paying the bill. He let out a small smirk before stuffing a small piece of paper in his mouth before chewing it up. The mischievous boy then stuffed the small piece of paper in his straw before taking aim at Ash.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu cried out as a warning.

Ash immediately turned his head at Pikachu's cry. However, he was now hit in the middle of his face by a spitball instead of the back of his head. He put on a disgusting look before glaring at the boy. The boy was already pretending like he hadn't done anything. Ash knew he had caught him, though.

"Hey! Cut that out!" Ash growled at the boy.

The teenage girl then turned around and stared at Ash with a surprised look. She was quite slender and had auburn hair tied up by a hair clip. The boy also got a mock look of surprise as he stared at Ash, but with a hidden smirk. He had black spiky hair not too different from Brock, but this kid's hair stood a little higher.

"Excuse me?" the girl asked in confusion.

"That kid keeps shooting spitballs at me!" Ash said angrily as he pointed an accusing finger at the boy.

"Try not to make a big scene out of this, Ash," Tracey whispered, but it fell on deaf ears.

"Sister, I didn't shoot any spitballs at this boy. Honest," the kid said in an incredibly innocent voice.

"That's a lie! My Pikachu saw you do it!" Ash stated as he pointed at the yellow rodent who nodded in agreement.

The girl and boy then glanced down at the Pikachu who smiled back at them. The girl then narrowed her eyes and glared at the boy who put on a guilty expression. He then shrugged and turned away while crossing his arms.

"Well, whatever. Who cares if I shot spitballs at this dude? He obviously sucks," he said.

"Hey! I don't exactly know what you mean by that, but I'll have you know I competed in the Indigo Pokemon League Tournament!" Ash shouted.

"Ooooh! The Indigo Pokemon League," the boy repeated in a mocking tone before continuing, "What place did you get in? Dead last?"

"I made it all the way to the Top Four!" Ash declared.

"Hey, Ash. Maybe we should just go. He's just a little kid. You don't have to prove anything to him," Serena told him as she tugged on his arm.

"Hahahaha! What's wrong?! Having to have your little girlfriend talk for you? You really do suck!" the boy laughed.

"Alright, Senta! That's enough! Quit causing trouble!" the boy's sister intervened.

"But, Cissy…," the boy began, but the girl cut him off.

"No buts! Apologize to him right now!" the girl known as Cissy told him.

Senta turned to look at Ash who had a look of triumph on his face. The boy opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to change his mind. He instead grunted and turned away. He wasn't going to apologize to this guy. He has no time for weak people who clearly aren't worthy of challenging his great big sister.

"Now!" Cissy ordered.

"Humph! Sorry," Senta mumbled in the least sincere tone.

The group could clearly tell the boy wasn't really sorry. Even so, it would be best to let bygones be bygones and move on. No need to make a mountain out of a Diglett hill. Ash sighed before staring again at the boy. Serena was right. This was just a trouble-making kid and Ash could be the better person. Normally, he would bite back and not apologize, but he was growing up and needed to act like it. He took a deep breath before smiling.

"No problem! It's all good!" Ash replied cheerfully.

"Humph," the boy grunted again.

"Great! Now that it's all better, let me introduce myself. I'm Cissy," the teenage girl introduced before giving a disapproving look at her brother. "And this is my little brother, Senta."

"Wait. You said your name was Cissy?" Ash asked as he suddenly remembered something.

"Yes. I did. Why?" Cissy asked curiously.

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! I'm competing in the Orange League and want to face the Orange Crew!" Ash declared officially.

"Oh? You're a future challenger, are you," Cissy seemed to smile, changing her friendly demeanor to a more competitive one. A glint seemed to appear in her eye.

"Ha! You've gotta be kidding me! There's no way you could beat my great sister! You should just give up!" Senta sneered before Cissy bopped him on the head, silencing him.

"Just ignore him," Cissy said before continuing, "But he wasn't lying when he said I'm a great trainer. I don't accept challenges from just anyone."

"Wow. She seems confident," Leaf whispered to Serena, who nodded back.

"I wish I could have some of the power she has," Misty added to herself.

"Just so you know, the fact that you competed in the Indigo League doesn't mean a thing here in the Orange Islands. It's much tougher here," Cissy warned.

"Sounds good to me! The tougher the better!" Ash smiled.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu agreed, also enjoying a good challenge.

"Just so you know, make sure you have a strong Pokemon that can run on the ground, a large flying Pokemon, and a large Water Pokemon with you before you come tomorrow," Cissy told him.

"Okay, but why?" Ash wondered.

"You'll see what I mean," Cissy smirked.

"Um, alright," Ash replied.

"If that's how you feel, then we can battle tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. Does that sound okay?" Cissy suggested and crossed her arms.

"That's fine with me!" Ash told her.

"Heh. I'll see you there in that case, squirt," Cissy taunted as she turned to leave with her brother.

"Hahaha! She called you a squirt!" Senta laughed at Ash before his sister rolled her eyes at him.

"And you need to shut up because you're an even littler squirt," Cissy told him in slight annoyance.

"Awww," the boy grumbled as they disappeared from sight.

"Hmm, so that was one of the Orange Crew members," Serena mused.

"I think I remember some people saying that girl, Cissy, was one of the toughest trainers in the Orange Crew. If there's one person they lose to, it's her," Leaf added.

"A match with one of the toughest trainers in the Orange Crew, huh? I can hardly wait!" Ash stated.

"I wonder why she asked you to have such specific Pokemon, though," Misty said thoughtfully.

"Who knows, but I think I have an answer to all of those requirements so I'll be fine," Ash reassured.

The group then turned to Tracey to see if he had any input. The Pokemon Watcher had been oddly quiet since they met Cissy and Senta. He had his sketchbook out and was diligently drawing away. That was weird. What on Earth would he be drawing at a time like this?

The group peaked over his shoulder and could see he wasn't drawing a picture of a Pokemon. He wasn't even drawing a picture of a good scene. It was one of Cissy, and it was really good, too. Tracey seemed to have a goofy smile on his face the whole time.

"Hey. What exactly is it that you're observing?" Serena muttered to him.

"We don't need another Brock on our hands," Misty added.

"Hmm? What?" Tracey asked as he looked up from his picture, clearly not getting it.

"It's an inside joke, Tracey. Sorry about that," Ash said sheepishly.

* * *

The group was now back at the Mikan Island Pokemon Center. They were going to make sure to get a good night's sleep tonight. Their past few nights had been less than restful with the bad dreams that Ash and Serena had, to sleeping on a boat, and then staying up with Lapras. It was starting to take their toll so they were really looking forward to it tonight. There was still one thing Ash needed to do before he went to bed.

Ash and the others made their way over to the video phone while Ash sat down on the stool. It would be best for Ash to go ahead and make a couple of Pokemon rotations before his battle. That way, the swapped Pokemon would be prepared and not be roped in so suddenly due to the early time of the battle. As Ash dialed the number for Professor Oak's lab, nobody seemed to notice Tracey trembling in excitement.

After a couple of rings, Professor Oak's face appeared on the screen. He gave a small yawn before smiling upon seeing who it was.

"Ah! Hello there, everyone! How are you all doing?" he asked.

"I'm happy to say we're on Mikan Island, Professor Oak! It's the place where I'll have my first Orange League battle!" Ash told him excitedly.

"I see. Mikan Island, eh? Make sure to do your best. The Orange Crew isn't easy," Professor Oak reminded.

"Thanks, professor! That's actually why I called. Do you think I could make some Pokemon swaps for my battle tomorrow?" Ash asked.

"I'd be happy to do that for you, Ash, but what Pokemon are you going to send to me in exchange?" Professor Oak wondered.

Ash scrunched up his face as he thought about it. Who would he swap out? Well, it would have to be a Pokemon he wouldn't need anytime soon. Besides Pikachu, his current team was Wartortle, Bulbasaur, Pidgeot, Charizard, and Lapras. Cissy told him he would need water and flying Pokemon so based on that, it seemed Bulbasaur would sadly have to go this time.

"I think I'll switch Bulbasaur out this time," Ash told Professor Oak.

"Alright. So which one would you like?" Professor Oak asked him.

"How about Tauros?" Ash suggested.

"You're going with Tauros?" Serena inquired as she rocked Togepi. Due to the late hour, she was trying to get it to settle down.

"I think that's the best Pokemon that is really strong. It's also really fast. I bet it will be perfect for whatever Cissy has in store for us!" Ash told her confidently.

About a minute later, Ash had transported Bulbasaur and received Tauros in return. He smiled at the pokeball that contained the wild bull Pokemon and nodded to Professor Oak. In return, the elderly professor showed Ash Bulbasaur's pokeball to prove it had reached safely over there, too. Knowing this, Ash was getting excited. He couldn't wait to test out his Tauros' strength tomorrow. It had been a while since he's used it in battle.

"Well, I guess that will about wrap it up. It's good to see you're all doing well," Professor Oak said.

"Your GS ball is doing well, too!" Leaf assured with a smile.

"I'm doing well, too!" Tracey suddenly shouted as he appeared in front of Ash and got as close to the screen as he could.

The group let out a surprised gasp at Tracey's outburst. Unfortunately, this caused Togepi to become wide awake as it began to cry. Serena and Ash grimaced as Serena slowly tried rocking it back and forth to calm it down again, but it was rather difficult now. The group then gave an annoyed look at Tracey, but he didn't seem to notice. He was too preoccupied with who was on the screen. Tracey couldn't believe it. He was face to face with the one and only Professor Oak!

"Oh, hello. Who might you be?" Professor Oak questioned with raised eyebrows.

"My name is Tracey Sketchit! I'm a Pokemon Watcher!" Tracey said in excitement.

"Ah. A Pokemon Watcher, eh?" Professor Oak nodded.

"Yes! I've admired your work for so long, Professor! It would be a great honor if you could review my sketches sometime!" Tracey almost pleaded.

"Okay. I would see no trouble with that. I guess you're a new friend for them," Professor Oak deduced as he gestured to the other four behind Tracey, who still looked rather annoyed.

"Yeah! They're really great!" Tracey agreed, still not noticing their looks at him.

It was then Tracey and the others gasped as a huge purple blob came up from behind Professor Oak. It then tackled the Professor in a sloppy hug before laughing. The offending Pokemon was none other than Ash's Muk.

"Muuuuuuuuk!" it cried as it continued to smother the professor.

"Oh! It's nice to see you, Muk! It's getting late, though! I thought you would be asleep!" Professor Oak said in exasperation.

"Hey, Muk! How's it going?" Ash asked, glad to see his sludge Pokemon was still its same old self. Still, poor Professor Oak.

"Muuuuuuuk!" it replied happily.

"I'll have to cut this conversation short so I can deal with Muk! I'll talk to you all later. It was nice meeting you, too, Tracey! Bye!" Professor Oak hurriedly said before ending the call.

Tracey then gave a contented sigh. It wasn't in person, but he actually go to talk to his idol. This had to be the greatest day of his life so far! He then turned and saw the group still giving him an annoyed look. He then saw the crying Togepi and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry. I guess I got carried away. It's just meeting Professor Oak is a dream for me," he explained.

"We know. We know," Misty muttered.

"Who knew Professor Oak could be so famous like that? I had no idea some people's dream was to see him," Serena stated thoughtfully.

"I know! We should get his autograph the next time we see him!" Leaf giggled, causing the others except Tracey to laugh.

* * *

The group was standing in front what was supposed to be the Mikan Island gym at ten o'clock sharp. In all honesty, it wasn't what the group was expecting. It wasn't big at all, and it looked just like a regular house. It didn't even seem big enough to host a proper Pokemon battle. It would be quite a tight fit. Not to mention, there wasn't a clear entrance. Just a normal door at the front with a doorbell.

"Uh…this IS the Mikan Island gym, right?" Ash asked Tracey, who had the guidebook at the moment.

"It appears so. We followed the directions exactly as it said," Tracey replied, though he was rather confused, too.

"And this map matches the location of the gym with where we are," Leaf added as she turned the map around in different directions to see if she could see some other angle.

"Maybe this is why Cissy is one of the toughest trainers in the Orange Crew. It'll be too hard to have a Pokemon battle in there!" Ash joked.

"Hah! Hardly," a voice spoke up from the side of the group, causing them to turn.

Cissy and Senta were coming around the side of the house, and both had smirks on their faces. The group had noticed she had changed out of the normal clothes she wore yesterday. She was now wearing a sleeveless black shirt that exposed her naval and a very short pair of shorts. Any perverted guy who saw a pretty girl wearing something that revealing would probably get a nosebleed.

"You arrived here on time. I'm impressed. Most people I face like to arrive here late because they think it's cool," Cissy said with a hint of disdain.

"Yeah. That's really annoying. At least promptness is something you're good at," Senta sneered.

Ash ignored Senta's comment and instead focused on Cissy. He then noticed her clothing, but not in the perverted way. Did she always dress like this when she was doing a challenge? More importantly, why did she dress with so little clothes? There had to be a reason. It couldn't have been to show off her looks because Cissy didn't seem like that type of person.

"Hmmm…she looks great today," Tracey muttered as he began sketching another drawing of Cissy in her new clothes.

"Oh, please," Misty mumbled as she and the other girls rolled their eyes.

"To answer your question from earlier, this is the Mikan Island gym, but it isn't that building. That's just our house," Cissy told the group.

"Oh? Where's the gym match take place then?" Ash asked in confusion.

"It's all around you. This whole side of the island is the Mikan gym," Cissy replied with a slight smirk.

The group looked around in amazement. All of this was her property?!

"This is a really large battling arena for a Pokemon match," Ash commented.

"Oh? You think we're going to battle our Pokemon?" Cissy asked with an arrogant smile.

"Well, yeah. Isn't that what you do in Pokemon battles," Ash inquired while the rest of the group raised their eyebrows, also.

"That isn't how it works here. In the Orange League, we do a lot more than have our Pokemon battle each other," Cissy answered.

"What do you mean?" Ash wondered.

"You'll see what I mean," Cissy replied as she and Senta turned to walk where the match's starting point would be. "You coming?"

"You bet I am! Come on, guys!" Ash declared as he and Pikachu began marching forward after Cissy and Senta.

"What on Earth could somebody else do for a gym match except battle their Pokemon?" Serena asked to no one in particular as they followed Ash and Pikachu.

"I don't know, but I'm worried for Ash because he seems really unprepared for this," Leaf replied, but not loud enough for Ash to hear.

"What?" Serena inquired, looking at her friend in surprise.

"This whole time, he apparently thought he was going to be battling her Pokemon like a normal gym match. Cissy just threw a curve ball, however, and said that wasn't the case. None of us have any idea what to expect now," Leaf explained.

"Ash can still win, though, right? Do you think he can do it?" Serena asked in slight hurt.

"Serena, of course you know I think Ash can do it, and I want him to win just as much as you do. I just don't want him to rush into this and wind up getting hurt because of it," Leaf sighed.

"I don't think like that, either," Serena said meekly as she twiddled her thumbs.

At that, Leaf raised a questioning eyebrow at Serena. Serena turned away in embarrassment and thought about what her friend had said. It's true. No matter what, Serena was always treating Ash like he as invincible and could do no wrong. She truly idolized him ever since she met him. Now that she was his girlfriend, she has never been happier. She still had a tendency to be extremely rash when Ash was involved, too. Heh.

"I'm still going to root for Ash, Serena. That will never change. I just want him to realize this hasn't been like anything he's done yet. I don't think it's clicked yet for him," Leaf said as she gestured forward to Ash strutting along with a confident look.

"Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt if Ash studied his opponents more. That is one of the things he said he would start doing," Serena said with shrug.

"Exactly," Leaf nodded.

"Alright! Here we are!" Cissy finally announced after another few minutes of walking.

The group stared around for any defining feature of where they were at. It looked just like another part of the island. Upon seeing their expressions, Cissy and Senta rolled their eyes and pointed downward towards the ground.

"Look there. It's a starting line and a finish line. Does that tell you anything?" she asked.

"Wait. Are we racing?" Ash inquired, finally putting the pieces together.

"Heh. Maybe you aren't as dumb as you look, after all," Senta smirked before he was bopped on the head by Cissy.

"That's right. Here at the Mikan Island Gym, our Pokemon don't just battle. They race each other three different ways. First, they have a footrace around the island. Second, we have contest of flying types, and lastly, we have a Pokemon wave ride," Cissy said.

"So that's why you told me to get these types of Pokemon," Ash muttered.

"Yeah. Of the three races, best two out of three wins," Cissy stated simply.

"I think I might be able to do this. I have some pretty fast Pokemon like Pikachu! It will be perfect for the footrace with its Agility," Ash said with a nod down to his partner who nodded back. Piece of cake.

"Hope your Pikachu can hold your weight," Cissy smirked.

"Huh?" Ash wondered as Pikachu looked on in question, too.

"You have to ride on top of all the Pokemon you race with!" Cissy elaborated.

"Ride on top of my Pokemon?" Ash echoed as he looked back down at Pikachu who sweatdropped. Yeah. That certainly wasn't going to happen.

"That's right. I believe that this really tests the communication and trust between a Pokemon and its trainer. Any Pokemon and trainer can win a race by themselves, but it takes true teamwork to be able to win together," Cissy stated.

"Oh," Ash muttered lamely. Of all the possibilities of how the Mikan Island Gym was different, this wasn't one of the things Ash was thinking of.

"You're not getting scared of facing me now, are you? Surely you have a great bond with your Pokemon if you made it to the Top Four in the Indigo League," Cissy mocked.

"No way! I can't turn down a challenge like that! You're on, Cissy!" Ash yelled, getting fired up.

"That's more like it! We'll have the footrace first!" Cissy stated before withdrawing a pokeball. "I'll show you my first Pokemon. Go Rapidash!"

The fire horse Pokemon appeared from the pokeball and let out a powerful neigh. It then stomped the ground and snorted. Cissy then went over and stroked its mane which it seemed to like.

Ash gave a huge sigh at the Pokemon choice for Cissy. Rapidash were some of the fastest running Pokemon in existence, hence its name. This would be an incredibly hard opponent to beat, but Ash believed he had the solution. He made the right call last night by getting this Pokemon.

"Go, Tauros!" Ash hollered as he let out the wild bull Pokemon.

The rest of the group nodded their heads at Ash's choice. It was true. Tauros had a lot of strength and was also very fast. It was definitely the best choice for Ash to go with right here. The only problem seemed to be that Tauros was one of Ash's newer Pokemon. He's had plenty of battles with it, but he's never actually tried to ride it. This might be a bumpy ride, literally.

"Hey, Tauros. Ready to win a race?" Ash asked it, earning a loud moo in confirmation. He didn't seem to be as worried as the others. It's true he had thought about learning to ride Tauros when he saw it letting kids ride on top of it at his party. Maybe this was as good a time as any to try.

Seeing all the large Pokemon here suddenly made Serena think of something. Cissy said trainers had to ride their Pokemon for each of the races. That eliminated a lot of Pokemon right off the bat, especially because one needed a Pokemon for each type of race. Feeling compelled to ask what she and the rest of the group were probably thinking, Serena spoke up.

"Hey, Cissy. What happens if a trainer doesn't own all the types of Pokemon required for the races? It can be a little rare for a trainer to have all three kinds," she pointed out.

"Only serious Pokemon trainers should be in the Orange League. That means they should also have a variety of Pokemon. If they don't have the types of Pokemon I require, then I don't consider them worth going against in the first place," Cissy said rather harshly.

The group grimaced at that. Wow. That was pretty brutal.

"Well, that explains why you didn't fully say you accepted my challenge until you knew I had those types of Pokemon last night," Ash remembered.

"That's right," Cissy affirmed.

"Ugh! Can we cut the chit-chat already? I wanna see my sister kick this guy's butt!" Senta whined.

"Alright. Fine. We can start," Cissy said in aggravation before turning to Ash. "You ready?"

"I sure am!" Ash confirmed as he got on to his Tauros.

The first thing Ash noticed was this was unlike anything he's ridden before. He had ridden Charizard and his Pidgeot, but this felt a lot more uneven. He then saw Cissy board her Rapidash, and the difference in skill was extremely apparent. The Mikan Island Gym leader appeared totally relaxed and natural on her Rapidash while Ash almost looked unsure. It was a stark contrast to how he felt just seconds ago. He put on a slight grimace which didn't go unnoticed by his friends.

"Are you going to be okay on there, Ash?" Leaf asked him in worry.

"Sure! No problem!" Ash smiled in confidence again, but this time there was noticeable hesitation.

"Don't be nervous, Ash. If you're worried, then Tauros will be worried, too!" Tracey warned.

It wasn't the part about riding Tauros that was making Ash nervous. It was the part where he had never done this before and didn't know the first thing about Pokemon racing. Tracey wasn't lying when he said Cissy would be one of the toughest Orange Crew trainers. He could imagine her smoking everybody she went up against.

Serena sighed in worry. She was highly reminded of when her mother would force her to do Rhyhorn racing when she was younger. She was always so nervous and hated doing it. Rhyhorn was just too wild for her, and she would always be biting her tongue because of it bucking quite often. This probably wouldn't be too different for Ash. She clasped her hands and said a slight prayer that Ash would at least be okay after this.

"Alright, Ash. Listen up. The course is simple. We each run one lap around this half of the island. There are arrows clearly marked that will show you the way to go, and the course itself is obvious. I'll go ahead and warn you that it isn't all just running, however. There is a water crossing, a section of many boulders in your way, and several uphill and downhill climbs," Cissy told him.

"Got it," Ash nodded, but the reality was that did nothing to help his unease.

Tauros seemed to sense Ash's hesitation, too, as it looked up at Ash and tilted its head. Ash sighed. If Tauros didn't think they could do it, there was no way they could work together. He had to get out of this sudden bout of weariness. They could do this. Ash lost his frown and patted Tauros on the head.

"Alright, Tauros. You ready?" Ash asked, earning a moo of agreement.

"Okay. You'll start when I blow this whistle," Senta said as he brushed it off on his shirt before putting in his mouth.

Cissy crouched down and grabbed onto Rapidash's fiery mane while Ash grabbed onto Tauros' horns. It was about to happen. Ash's first Orange League battle was underway. He had to do well in this match or else it would be a bad sign of things to come. He shook his head of the negative thoughts and finally put on his famous look of determination. Here it comes.

The sound of the whistle sounded throughout the area. Senta apparently blew it louder than necessary as Serena, Misty, Leaf, Tracey, and Pikachu had to cover their ears. They then glared at the bratty boy who smirked back. Despite the assault on their ears, that didn't deter the two racers and their Pokemon. They each took off at the same time and began to make their way around the course.

It didn't take long for Ash to get extremely uncomfortable. He was bouncing up and down continuously due to Tauros's super rough handling. It was painful on his behind and Ash let out a grimace with each landing. Despite this, he was keeping an even speed with Cissy who appeared no worse from the wear. It was as if her Rapidash was made to be ridden. She was a small margin ahead of him, but nothing to worry about yet.

As the two humans and Pokemon rounded the corner, Ash could already see a whole lot of boulders ahead. This was going to be really tough to navigate. Ash crouched lower and braced himself for what was coming.

"Get ready, Tauros," Ash said to it.

Cissy was first as she and Rapidash effortlessly steered around the boulders. Ash was next, and in stark contrast, was being thrown around as Tauros tried to maneuver around the obstacles. By now, Ash was just hoping he didn't have whiplash by the end of the race. Due to not being used to this, the wild bull Pokemon had to slow down tremendously to avoid hitting anything. This caused Cissy to gain a good bit of ground between her and Ash.

"Heh. What did I tell you? This idiot doesn't stand a chance against Cissy," Senta sneered as he and the rest watched a small TV monitor so they could see the racers' progress.

Serena was really getting sick of this brat's attitude. He had done nothing but insult Ash ever since they met him, and he was always carrying on about how great his sister was. Her catty side was beginning to show. If he wasn't just a young kid, Serena swore she would have slapped him upside the head by now. She gave a huff of annoyance and silently prayed again for Ash to win. This time it wasn't just so Ash could get his badge, but it was also because it would shut this kid up.

Cissy, by now, had really gained a substantial lead. That boulder area had been a huge delay, and now it looked like they were coming up to the water crossing. Ash squinted his eyes and could make out small stones used to get across. This wasn't going to be easy. The raven haired boy frowned as he saw Cissy and Rapidash began leaping across the stones at quite a fast pace. He took a brief glance at the way Tauros was running and grimaced again. This wouldn't end well if Ash didn't do something.

"Hey, Tauros. There are some really small stones ahead. I'm going to need you to spread out your legs a little bit. These are some wide gaps between the rocks. We'll never make it at the pace we're going now," Ash told it.

Tauros gave a loud moo to signal that it heard what Ash had said. It then did as told and began to go across the small river. Despite being even bumpier due to the leaps, Ash was rather impressed with his Pokemon. It didn't lose much speed at all. Tauros was going across the river almost flawlessly. It wasn't long before it was back on the track and rounded another corner.

"That was excellent, Tauros!" Ash praised despite his stuttering.

"Heh. That was okay. I guess. The river is where most people usually get far behind by falling in," Senta shrugged.

"Well, Ash isn't like most people," Serena smirked this time, causing Senta to stick his tongue out at her.

Ash smiled as he realized Tauros was starting to do quite well after such a rough start. He was nowhere close to a professional Pokemon racer, but Ash was starting to hold his own. At least Cissy hadn't gotten any further ahead of him during this time. She didn't mention any more surprises on this course except for a few hills, and he doubted she didn't tell him about everything. It would be a dirty trick for a gym leader to purposely leave out something like that.

The hilly section approached rather quickly, and Tauros barreled up the steep hill with little trouble. Ash had lean forward a little to avoid falling off. He would end up with more than a few broken bones if that happened. He was already sore enough. Despite this, as Ash saw Tauros trying its hardest to catch up, Ash realized that maybe he was going about this the wrong the way. Sure, he and Tauros were both new to this, but that still didn't mean they couldn't win. This was all about teamwork, and Ash had vowed to start really knuckling down at the end of the Indigo League. This was just one of those tests.

"Alright, Tauros! Time to put it into high gear! Let's finish this race! Hiyah!" Ash yelled.

Tauros gave a loud moo at the encouragement and began to push forward even faster. The two reached the top of the hill at this, and began going down it at breakneck speed. Rapidash still had large lead, but it wasn't getting any farther ahead. That was good enough. Ash wasn't about to look like some idiot who didn't know what he was doing. He was determined to prove that he was a worthy challenger for the Orange League.

The second large hill came up and Tauros didn't lose any speed while going up it. Ash leaned forward once again, and put on a look of confusion that Tauros was riding a little smoother this time. It was still quite wobbly, but at least it didn't make Ash want to throw up. He was slowly getting used to this.

Tauros gave another loud cry as it began to go down the second hill. They could see Cissy ahead who had just made it down. Up ahead would be the final turn. Then they would be on the home stretch. It was going to be a long shot with that Rapidash's speed, but they could still catch up at the speed they were going at. They were getting closer and closer! Yes!

That's when both their eyes widened when they saw a blaze seemed to appear around Rapidash. It grew larger and larger until Rapidash was covered in what looked like a giant fireball. Ash gritted his teeth as he saw the lightning fast horse was easily matching the speed his Tauros was going at. He then shook his head and looked down at the wild bull Pokemon.

"Come on, Tauros! Let's go!" Ash encouraged despite this.

"Look! Here they come!" Leaf shouted excitedly as she and the others saw them round the last corner.

"That Rapidash is incredible," Misty murmured in shock as she saw the state it was in.

"Yeah. My sister has been training it since it was a Ponyta. They must have done this course a hundred times by now," Senta bragged, but the group ignored him.

Ash's heart sank as he saw the Rapidash cross the finish line far ahead. So that was it then. He lost the first race by a good bit. Ash could feel his Tauros slowing down now that it saw it had already lost, and Ash realized he couldn't go out like this. He would still finish the race. It was the sportsman like thing to do. He crossed the finish line with Tauros just as Cissy was getting off the Rapidash. He then pulled slightly on Tauros's horns to get it to slow down, which it did. The raven-haired boy and his Pokemon then began to take deep breaths.

"You did…great, Tauros. I'm proud of you," Ash panted before turning to Cissy. "That Rapidash is really fast."

"It is," Cissy agreed as she patted its snout. "I guess I should go ahead and tell you the point of that race wasn't to beat me. I didn't think you would anyway. There isn't anybody in a long time who's beaten Rapidash."

"What?!" everyone exclaimed.

"Then what was the purpose of this for?!" Ash cried in an exasperated tone.

"It was to prove to me of the connection you have with your Pokemon. If you weren't able to make it through the course, there would be no point in going further. That race is more or less the preliminaries of what's to come. The only thing I required of you was to keep up," Cissy explained.

"So…Ash passed?" Serena guessed.

"He did. I've got to say, at first, it didn't look like you were going to make it, but you and your Tauros pulled through in the end and really made a comeback," Cissy smiled.

"That's Tauros for you!" Ash agreed as he got off Tauros…and promptly fell over.

"Ash!" Serena exclaimed as she and the others rushed to help him to his feet.

"Woah. I feel like I fell out of a tree and hit every branch on the way down," Ash groaned.

It was true. Though he kept up with Cissy as required, that rough ride on Tauros really took its toll on Ash. He was sore all over, and his legs felt like jello from sitting like that. His friends attempted to pull Ash to his feet, but he groaned in pain again every time they tried.

"Just give me a few minutes. I'll be okay. I think," Ash muttered before looking up at Tauros. "I guess we got a ways to go, huh, Tauros?"

Tauros gave a moo of sadness at Ash's condition. Of course it didn't mean to hurt him like that. It was just a rowdy and wild Pokemon by nature. It just didn't have a drop of smoothness in it.

"Don't worry. We'll work on it Tauros. I bet we'll be pros before long," Ash tried to encourage.

"Don't rest too long, Ash. We'll need to start the next event in five minutes. Now that you passed the preliminaries, we can really start our battle. Of course, since you lost the race, you have to beat me in at least one of the other two events. Tying won't do," Cissy told him.

"I'm glad a trainer is only required to keep up on that course. I don't see how anyone could beat your Rapidash," Leaf commented.

"They can't. Rapidash and I have done this course so many times that we know all of the shortcuts and tricks. It would be really unfair to require a trainer to win. If they can at least keep up on a course like this, it's good enough for me. Only one person has ever beaten me," Cissy shrugged.

"Hold on. Someone actually won against Rapidash? Who was it?" Misty asked in surprise.

"It was trainer who came here about five years ago. I didn't get his name, but he was really good. I was still really young at the time and had only been a gym leader for a couple of years. Even so, no one had beaten Rapidash up until that point," Cissy said thoughtfully.

"A trainer from five years ago. I think I remember you saying that was the last winner of the Orange League. So it was the same guy," Ash mused as he looked at Tracey.

"He must have really deserved that title. I wonder who he was," Misty muttered.

* * *

After Ash had his break, the group was now standing in the middle of an open field. According to Cissy, this is where their flying types would compete against each other. Ash had thought hard about choosing either Charizard or Pidgeot for this event. Both flying types were very good at what they did, and Ash had experience riding on both of them. He ultimately decided on Pidgeot since it needed to get more experience upon recently evolving.

The bird Pokemon spread its wings and stood next to Ash loyally. This would be its first real match as a Pidgeot so it needed to do well for its trainer. This was going to be a great teamwork exercise that would be sure to help them both. It and Ash were getting pumped up.

"Alright, Ash. This next event won't be a race, but a target contest," Cissy told him as she stood next to a Golbat.

"Oh. Okay. How does it work?" Ash asked.

"Senta will be shooting a series of moving discs, ten in all. The Pokemon's job is to break as many discs as they can before it passes them. They can use any attack to break it. The trainer with the most broken discs out of the ten will be the winner of the event, and of course, the trainer must ride their Pokemon the entire time," Cissy explained.

"Sounds good to me! Pidgeot has awesome eyesight!" Ash said with determination.

"But how good will it be when it's trying keep you from falling off?" Senta smirked.

"Anyway, I'll go first," Cissy said as she hopped on her Golbat.

Despite feeling better about this event than the footrace, Ash was rather glad Cissy was going first. It would give him and Pidgeot a good idea of what to expect. He and the bird Pokemon stood back with rest to give Cissy some space before she took off.

"Okay. Ready, and go!" Senta yelled and blew his whistle again, but this time nowhere near as loud as the first time.

Golbat shot off the ground and into the air, almost startling the group with its speed. That thing could match the agility of Crobat judging from that takeoff! It was only a couple of seconds before Senta crouched down next to a disc launcher and shot a disc high into the air. The disc was going nowhere near Cissy or Golbat, but nevertheless, she ordered her Pokemon forward, and it shot an Air Cutter. The blades of air soared across and struck the disc, completely shattering it. It hadn't even come close to making it up past Golbat despite being so far away.

"Wow," Misty muttered.

"That was flawless. I've got to sketch this. If I could get the moment when Golbat is using…," Tracey muttered to himself as he began to sketch.

"Whose side are you on anyway?" Misty asked him in slight annoyance.

"Ash's, of course, but I know a good Pokemon and trainer when I see one," Tracey replied without missing a beat.

"Thanks, Misty, but I know Tracey needs these for his sketches," Ash told her with a smile before turning back up to watch Golbat smash the next target effortlessly. He couldn't help but think to himself how Pidgeot would fare, though. The Pokemon had amazing eyesight and could no doubt do it alone, but the problem would be him on top of it.

"Pidgoooo," Pidgeot hooted softly before rubbing its head against Ash's in an attempt to cheer him up.

The group then saw Senta launch two at the same time, each going a different direction. Cissy and Golbat saw this and took action immediately. Golbat shot an Air Slash in the direction of one before going into a spiral dive after the other. Despite the erratic movements Golbat was making, Cissy held on strong. It then crashed into the disc, completely shattering it. It wasn't long before the Air Slash shot through the other disc.

"Ash, this looks kind of dangerous. Please be careful up there," Serena said worriedly after seeing Cissy's last stunt.

"Pidgooooo," Pidgeot said again, this time to Serena.

"I will, Serena, but I know Pidgeot won't let anything happen to me while I'm up there," Ash smiled and rubbed the bird Pokemon's head.

"Don't worry. No one's died doing this," Senta actually reassured the group before adding as an afterthought, "But there have been some broken bones."

It wasn't too much longer before Cissy was done with her target breaking. The group didn't think it was too big of a surprise that she got a perfect score. That, however, meant Ash had to get a perfect score, also. If he didn't tie with Cissy, he would lose the match.

"Alright, Ash. Your turn," Cissy told him as she got off Golbat.

"Okay!" Ash replied before turning to Togepi in Serena's arms. "You ready to watch me fly, Togepi?"

"Togeprriii!" it laughed.

"Alright, Pidgeot. We've got this. There's no target that you won't be able to see and miss," Ash Ash encouraged as he got on its back.

"Pidgeooo!" it cried.

Serena stared worriedly as the two prepared for takeoff. Despite Ash and Pidgeot's reassuring words, she still feared for Ash's safety. One wrong move could mean Ash would take a plummet. She forced herself to think of times when Ash had ridden on top of flying type Pokemon. There was the time when he fought Aerodactyl, and there was the time when he battled Fearow. Those were the two instances that stuck out the most to her. Okay. He would be fine.

"Serena, despite what I said earlier, I don't think you have anything to worry about right here. His Pidgeot is fearlessly loyal. It won't let him fall," Leaf reassured as she placed a comforting hand on Serena's shoulder.

"Togeprrriii!" Togepi tried to encourage, also, despite not fully comprehending the situation.

"Chu!" Pikachu gave Ash a thumb's up, mimicking his signature gesture.

"Alright. You'll start at the sound of my whistle? You ready?" Senta asked Ash.

"Bring it on!" Ash hollered.

"Heh. Try not to fall!" Senta sneered before counting down. "Three, two, one, go!"

Senta blew the whistle, and Pidgeot immediately took off. It soared high in the sky to stretch its wings before lowering itself slightly to be prepared for the discs. The bird Pokemon let out a cry to signal that it was ready for anything that was thrown at it.

"Here they come, Pidgeot," Ash warned.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, the first disc came into sight. It wasn't too far away from the two, and they would be able to reach it easily. A simple Air Slash should take care of it.

"Alright, Pidgeot! You know what to do!" Ash told it.

Pidgeot let out a cry and shot two large blades of air from its wings. The disc wasn't even close to reaching Pidgeot and Ash before it was blasted into small bits. That was one down, and nine to go.

"Alright! Way to go, Ash and Pidgeot!" Leaf screamed.

"Pidgeot's just as good!" Misty smiled.

"You think so, huh? Let's see how they do against a tough one," Senta smirked as he turned the disc launcher a different direction before firing.

Serena took her eyes off Ash and Pidgeot before glaring at Senta. The little brat had the nerve to try something like that? Did he want Ash to get hurt while doing this event?

Ash and Pidgeot, meanwhile, widened their eyes as they saw how far away the disc was. They would really need to increase their speed to do this. Pidgeot understood what Ash wanted it to do as it didn't even wait for Ash's command before using Agility. It tore through the air at incredible speed as it attempted to catch up to the disc.

"Wooaaah!" Ash cried as he almost lost his grip. He truly underestimated the speed of Pidgeot when it was using Agility. He stumbled slightly but regained his grip just as Pidgeot used its beak to break the target.

"Oh! Ash almost fell off!" Serena cried as she and the rest of the group looked on in worry. Who knew a Pokemon match could be so dangerous?! They prayed that the rest of the Orange Crew gym matches weren't like this.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu cried

"That…was close," Ash panted as he put one hand over his chest to control his breathing. That had scared him quite a bit.

"Pidgo?" Pidgeot questioned as it turned to look at Ash.

"I'm fine, Pidgeot. Really. Don't slow down for me. I'll just hold on tighter. This isn't too different from our battle with Fearow," Ash reassured.

Pidgeot looked unsurely at Ash. This actually _was_ quite a bit different from its battle with Fearow. When it was fighting the bird Pokemon, all it had to do was dodge and attack. Here, however, it had to do tricks and fly at high speeds in order to get all of the targets. Still, it would make sure to keep Ash safe. Despite it and Ash really needing to win, keeping its trainer safe would still be its top priority.

The third and fourth disc came out at the same time just like with Cissy's. Rather than attack one with a long ranged attack and go after another, Ash decided to try something different. It was little risky, but it should work.

"Alright, Pidgeot. Use Hurricane and pull those discs closer to you!" Ash shouted.

Pidgeot let out a cry and began flapping its wings extremely fast which created a gale. The high speed wind began whipping around all across the sky above the group watching. It wasn't long before the discs were caught up in the gale, too. The force of wind caused their trajectories to go way off and instead fly towards Ash and Pidgeot. That's when the two made their move.

"Now use Twister to suck them in closer!" Ash yelled.

Pidgeot then began spinning around really fast in order whip up the cyclone. Ash was getting extremely dizzy doing this, but he still held on tight. It wasn't long before the vortex was created and spread out around them. Due to being high in the air, the group below wasn't affected. The vacuum force of the vortex continued pulling this dics closer until Ash and Pidgeot attacked.

"Alright, Pidgeot! Now use Wing Attack on both of those discs!" Ash pointed.

Pidgeot gave a cry before spreading its wings out and slapping at each of the discs as they went over to it. Its strong wings cut through the discs easily. So far. So good.

"Way to go, Pidgeot!" Ash praised.

"Chuuuuu!" Pikachu cheered as it jumped up and down.

"That was good of Ash to use Pidgeot's Hurricane and Twister like that. Totally worth a sketch," Tracey smiled as he began to draw.

"See, despite being unprepared, Ash still thinks like nobody else. He'll find a way to lessen the danger," Leaf told Serena reassuringly.

Serena breathed a huge sigh. As long as Ash continued to use strategies like this, he would be just fine. That was one of his strengths. Despite not knowing what to expect, he was able to adapt just fine on his Pidgeot just like he had with Tauros. He could become a pro at this in no time.

"Heh. I've got to admit, that wasn't bad," Cissy said in surprise.

Pidgeot had done an amazing job at breaking the discs after a few more. It had destroyed nine of them so far and only one remained before it and Ash could tie with Cissy. Senta must have noticed this, too. The young boy figured that if he threw one extra hard and far away, there would be no way they could get to it in time. He made it way too easy for this guy anyway. He purposely turned the disc shooter in the opposite direction and fired away from Ash and Pidgeot.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Serena shouted, seeing what the boy was doing.

"Who cares? Someone has to lose this event," Senta replied with shrug.

The group looked to Cissy to see if she could have some kind of say in something. However, all the teenage girl did was sigh and shake her head.

"It's out of my hands. I can't have another disc shot because there are only twenty discs. It also wouldn't be fair to make Ash redo this all over again after doing so well," she said.

The group frowned and turned their heads back in Ash's direction. It appeared he had noticed the situation, also. Pidgeot was flying at a blinding speed towards the disc as fast as it could before it reached past it. They hoped it could make it in time.

Ash, meanwhile, was clinging on Pidgeot's back for dear life. It was using its Agility to try to catch up with the disc. Unlike the short burst it needed to reach the other discs, this one was rather extended. Ash knew he couldn't let go, however. If he did, Pidgeot would be forced to save him which would cause them both to lose, and then the match would be over.

The disc was approaching Pidgeot's height quickly. Ash couldn't speak because of the wind in his face, but he knew no amount of encouragement could work for this. It was all going to be on Pidgeot. The bird Pokemon appeared to be straining itself to push even faster. It was getting near the disc. It was just a few yards below it. Here it comes. Pidgeot thrust its beak as hard as it could, and then…

…the disc shattered.

"Alright, Ash!" Leaf cheered as she jumped up and down.

"Way to go!" Misty yelled, as well.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu shouted up at Ash and Pidgeot. Its trainer must have had some grip to hold onto Pidgeot like that. It remembered when they had battled Fearow. Its tiny hands could barely hold on even then.

"I wonder if I could get a sketch of Pidgeot when it's using Agility," Tracey murmured before adding, "Oh! That was fantastic, too!"

"Meh. He did okay," Senta shrugged before he was bopped on the head by Cissy.

"Maybe I should just give you double chores when this match is over. This gym has no room to be unfair," Cissy scolded. "Still, that was quite a feat."

"Aw! Come on!" Senta whined, but ended up just being ignored.

Serena smiled as she watched. Only her Ash could pull off something like that. They were just as good as Cissy! That only left one question, now. Since they had both tied, what do they do for the tie-breaker?

Pidgeot swooped back down and landed on the ground. Ash carefully got off of his Pidgeot before falling on his hands and knees. Just like with the race he did earlier. This one left him out of breath, but it was more of this time because of nervousness. That had been way too close.

"Are you alright, Ash?" Serena asked as she went over and helped him up.

"Yeah. I'll be fine," Ash said, accepting Serena's help. He then turned to his Pidgeot. "That was amazing Pidgeot! Thank you!"

"Pidgoooo!" Pidgeot cried. Ever since it learned its lesson when it battled Fearow, it would do anything for its trainer.

Pikachu jumped into Ash's arms and smiled at the trainer. Ash grinned back and scratched his little buddy behind the ears in response. Togepi was outstretching its tiny arms from Serena in an effort to get to its daddy, wanting affection, too.

"Of course. I can't forget you, Togepi!" Ash told it.

"You sure are celebrating rather hard considering you just tied with me. The only way to break this tie is with one more race, a Pokemon wave ride," Cissy told them.

"What's a Pokemon wave ride?" Ash wondered as he turned away from Serena and Togepi to Cissy.

"It's what I requested you to have a strong water-type Pokemon for," Cissy answered. "It's a race of water Pokemon!"

"You guys will race down there at the beach so come on," Senta urged as he ran ahead, the rest of the group following.

As they walked along, Ash couldn't help but sigh. He had been really unprepared for these types of things. Despite this, he managed to pull through each time, but it had been really close. If the previous events were any indication, Ash would be riding a water Pokemon here. That ruled out Wartortle so the only one left was Lapras. It was technically his Pokemon right now, but would it want to race with him? They promised to help it look for its mother but said nothing about it having to battle. How would Lapras feel about this?

"Hey, Ash. What's wrong?" Serena asked him, drawing the attention of Leaf, Misty, and Tracey.

"I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to go about doing this last race. I'll probably need to ride on top of a Pokemon so I can't use Wartortle. It's also too late to make a transfer for Kingler. That means I have to use Lapras," Ash replied.

"What's wrong with using Lapras?" Misty asked him.

"It has no experience with battles before since it's just a baby. Not to mention, I feel like I would be betraying Lapras' trust by using it in a match when the only reason I got it to join us would be so we could search for its family," Ash muttered.

"From what I can see, Lapras adores you, and you two haven't even known each other that long. I think you'll be just fine," Leaf told Ash.

"Yeah. Not to mention, I wouldn't worry about it having no experience, either. Lapras are some of the strongest swimmers in the world," Tracey added.

"Hmmm," Ash mused as he took a brief look at Lapras' pokeball attached to his belt.

"Ash, I don't think Lapras came along with you just because you agreed to find its parents," Serena said.

"Huh?" Ash inquired and turned towards.

"I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm sure that was some of the reason, but Lapras also trusts you," Serena elaborated. "I'm sure it knows that you would never make it do something against its will. It can probably sense that the only reason you would ask it something was because you really needed it. I don't think Lapras will refuse."

"I guess I'll find out soon enough," Ash said as he took another look at Lapras' pokeball.

Once the beach came into view, Cissy signaled with her hand for everyone to stop. She then pointed to a red flag about half a mile out into the ocean. The group had to squint to see it, but they could make it out. Apparently, that would probably be the finish line. So they just had to race there while riding their Pokemon.

"Okay, Ash. The rules for the Pokemon wave ride are simple. All we have to do is swim out to that flag, circle it, and swim back. The first one to reach the shore is the winner," Cissy told him.

"Sounds easy enough," Ash remarked as he fiddled with Lapras' pokeball.

"One more thing," Cissy added with a smirk. "You don't simply ride your Pokemon like the past races. You have to stand on top of them."

"S-s-stand?" Ash stuttered. He had never been the most coordinated of people so this would be extra challenging.

"You heard right," Cissy replied before pulling out another pokeball. "Go, Blastoise!"

The final form of Squirtle appeared and let out a roar. It then brought out its cannons and pumped a huge blast of water into the air to show its strength.

"A Blastoise would be really tough to beat," Ash muttered. Even if he could ride on Wartortle, it wouldn't be impossible, but still extremely difficult to win in a race against its evolved form. He had to use Lapras.

"So which Pokemon do you have that can stand up to Blastoise?" Cissy asked as she and the Blastoise leered at the boy.

"I have the perfect one!" Ash cried, determined to not let his apprehension show. "Go, Lapras!"

The baby transport Pokemon appeared and looked at its surroundings. Its eyes then settled on Ash as it looked at him inquisitively. Ash knew Lapras was thinking that he wasn't just going to ask it to transport him to another island. If he wanted Lapras to trust him, he had to be confident in his question.

"Lapras," Ash began. "I know what I'm about to ask you has nothing to with finding your parents, but I need you to lend me your strength. Will you help me win this match I'm having right now?"

The rest of the group watched as the trainer and Pokemon stared into each other's eyes. It seemed there was some sort of battle going on in Lapras' mind right now. It wasn't like it was unexpected. One thing was certain, however, Ash's ability to win completely depended on Lapras' response. They sincerely hoped Lapras would agree.

Pikachu perked its ears up as it felt a strange, but now familiar feeling, from Ash. This was the same feeling it had when it was connected to Ash. Was his aura activating right now after being dormant for quite a while?

Ash, himself, felt it coming upon him as he stared at Lapras. It didn't sneak in this time as it usually does, however. It was starting off small and becoming gradually stronger. He suddenly found himself connected with all of his Pokemon. He could feel their emotions, and right now, he was focused on what Lapras was feeling.

"Psst, Serena. Is that Ash's aura?" Leaf whispered so Cissy and Senta wouldn't hear.

"I think so, but I don't know how he's using it this time," Serena whispered back.

"Wait. What?" Tracey questioned as he put on a look of shock towards Leaf and Serena, having been standing right next to them

Leaf and Serena blushed in embarrassment that they revealed this secret by accident. They just now remembered that Tracey had no idea about Ash's aura or Serena's psychic. He probably understood not to go any further about the topic right now, but he would definitely be asking questions later. Oops.

Lapras was having a very calming effect right now. It could sense Ash's aura, also. It wasn't scared of the strange feeling, though. It was seeming to just tell it to trust Ash. The transport Pokemon knew that Ash wouldn't be asking this unless it was important. Did he think that it would say no? Truthfully, that's how Lapras would normally respond. Still, Ash was definitely a sincere person and had done nothing to mistreat it so far. He was helping it by having it search for its parents. In return, it could help Ash when he needed it.

"Laaaaaa!" Lapras cried as it nodded its head before rubbing its face against Ash.

"Thanks a lot, Lapras. This really means a lot to me," Ash told with a laugh.

"So does this mean that you're ready?" Cissy asked, not having noticed anything strange about Ash.

"Yep! We sure are!" Ash replied. Half of the battle was Lapras agreeing to race with him. The next part would be winning. He then turned to Lapras. "Ready to win a swimming race, Lapras?"

"Laaaaa!" it agreed.

Lapras and Blastoise then scooted into the water. Once they appeared prepared, Cissy and Ash went to climb on their Pokemon. Cissy went first before finding her balance and effortless standing on top of Blastoise's rounded shell. That had to take some serious skill. She had apparently practiced.

Ash, on the other hand, was having a much harder time. He was on his hands and knees on top of Lapras. He shakily began to rise to his feet, struggling to find balance. This was really going to be a lot tougher than it sounded, and it already sounded tough to begin with!

"Ash, are you going to be okay?" Serena called worriedly from the shoreline.

"N-n-no p-p-problem, guys!" Ash called back. He was wobbling terribly, and he hadn't even fully stood up yet!

"Remember, if you fall, it's all over!" Cissy said from her Blastoise.

Ash finally stood up fully on Lapras, but that didn't make it any easier. He was still shaking and felt he could fall at any moment. It would only be worse during the race when Lapras would be going as fast as it could. It was then Ash remembered that his aura was kicking in. He could certainly use it to keep him balanced. He had no doubt he could do that, and that would make this match much easier since he would have no danger of falling. What would the cost be, though?

Cissy was using no special powers to stand on her Blastoise. If Ash used his aura to help him win when Cissy wasn't using anything, the match would be uneven. It would almost feel as if Ash was using a handicap, and if he won, it would only be because of his aura. It was different in his match with Sabrina and Giovanni because they were using special tools, also. Here, however, it was all skill. Ash also remembered Riley telling him that the only way his aura would help him get stronger would be once Ash already reached his maximum potential by himself. Using his aura here would not yield Ash any benefit in getting stronger. As tempting as it was, Ash had to push it away for now and win all on his own. He couldn't rely on his aura in every situation despite the convenience that it was working right now.

"Come on. We haven't go all day!" Senta complained.

Ash ignored the brat's comment as he continued to struggle. Lapras turned around to look in concern. It was ready to race for Ash, but it didn't want to put him in danger in the process.

At last, the raven-haired boy found his balance. He put on a big smile as he turned to his friends and gave them a thumbs up that he was okay. Upon seeing this, they returned the smile. Lapras itself also smiled as it turned to face forward again. Now, since that situation was out of the way, they could start the race.

"Let's do it, Lapras!" Ash cheered as he pumped his fist into the air, only to stumble again. He quickly found his center of balance again and put on a sheepish grin. He could wait until after the race to celebrate.

"Alright. You'll start at the sound of my whistle. This is for the badge!" Senta called as he put the whistle in his mouth.

Both Pokemon and people put on determined expressions. This race would have no obstacles to stop them like last time. That made the playing field completely even. Ash knew he couldn't simply keep up. He had to win. This had been extremely challenging for him so far, and he couldn't imagine going through it again. The last race, and the last time.

Senta's whistle soon went off, and the race began.

"See ya later!" Cissy called as she and Blastoise shot off, leaving Ash and Lapras behind.

Ash was initially startled by this, but he turned his hat around and put on determined expression. He wasn't going to let this head start deter him. They would just have to catch up.

"Don't let that stop you, Lapras! Let's go!" Ash called.

"Laaaaa!" Lapras replied as it took off, too. Not having quite the same boost in the beginning as Blastoise, it was still soon matching the same speed.

Ash was starting to struggle again now that Lapras was moving. He was constantly swinging his arms in an effort to prevent him from falling, but it was being met with little success. He didn't know how he could keep this up if there wasn't a way to do this race as quickly as possible. He would need to move to the inside to give him and Lapras an advantage.

"Okay, Lapras! Let's try to move for the inside!" Ash suggested.

"I don't think so! Don't let them get there, Blastoise!" Cissy commanded.

As Lapras went to move inside, Blastoise was soon to meet it and slammed into the transport Pokemon. This really made Ash lose his balance. If he was hit again, there was no doubt he would fall.

"Oh, no! Blastoise almost knocked Ash off!" Leaf cried.

"It isn't like it's not fair," Senta said from the side. "No rule said the Pokemon couldn't attack each other."

"That's really dangerous! What if Ash falls in?!" Serena shouted.

"He'll live," Senta shrugged.

Serena was about ready to choke this kid, but restrained herself. He was a lot younger than her and didn't know any better. That didn't change the fact that he was super obnoxious, though.

Ash had miraculously managed to find his balance again. He and Lapras were keeping a steady speed as the red flag came closer and closer. It was then he saw Blastoise was coming in for another attack, but he couldn't let that happen. Lapras wasn't as strong as Blastoise so it couldn't slam back, but it could still keep the turtle Pokemon at bay.

"Use Water Pulse on the ocean!" Ash called.

Lapras launched an orb of water from its mouth and fired. It instantly exploded on impact, causing as small wall of water to rise up which forced Blastoise back. Now they just needed to hide for a moment.

"Use Mist!" Ash yelled.

Lapras let out a cool mist from its mouth which spread around it and Ash like a blanket. It wasn't too long before they were cloaked by this mist, making them hard to see. Cissy squinted her eyes to see if she could make out any sign of the two, but found none. Not a bad strategy of hiding since they couldn't match Blastoise's strength. Cissy and Blastoise emerged from the mist about fifteen seconds later and put on a look of surprise when they saw Ash and Lapras had made it to the inside and were ahead of them!

"Nice work, Lapras! We're ahead now!" Ash praised.

"You think so, huh? Blastoise! Launch a Hydro Pump ahead of Ash and Lapras!" Cissy yelled.

Blastoise opened up one of its cannons before blasting out an excess amount of water. The water soared quickly overhead before landing in front of Ash and Lapras. A huge wave sprang up from the force and loomed menacingly over Ash and Lapras.

"Watch out!" Ash cried.

Despite Lapras' attempts to avoid the wave, the two crashed right into it. They felt the full force hitting against Lapras' body. The Pokemon cried out due to the impact and slowed down tremendously. Ash, however, couldn't take it. The wave was too strong. He immediately lost his footing and flipped off Lapras and high into the air.

"Ash!" Serena screamed once she saw the blow.

Everyone from the shoreline looked on worriedly. Ash could be injured from this if something wasn't done quickly. Not only would he lose, but he could also be lost. Falling in the water that hard could easily knock him unconscious which would cause them to have to look for him. This was really not good.

Ash screamed as he flipped through the air. He then started the descent and saw the water coming closer and closer. He was strongly considering to use his aura right now. It would be cheating, but that didn't matter. It was still activated meaning it could at least keep him from drowning should the impact knock him out. He then made his split second decision and closed his eyes as he prepared to use his aura however it saw fit in the situation.

It was then he heard a loud cry from below. Ash then saw Lapras actually leap out of the water towards him! The transport Pokemon wasn't just about to let Ash fall in the water like that! It put on a serious look and caught Ash in midair before falling back in the water. Ash looked on in surprise that Lapras could do that. He was seriously feeling a lot of relief right now.

"Thank you, Lapras. You saved me," Ash breathed out.

"Laaaaa!" it replied as it started moving again.

Everyone on the shoreline breathed a huge sigh of relief, too. That was way too close. Thank goodness for Lapras' determination to save Ash. This also proved to be a good thing, however, as it showed the Lapras truly trusted Ash. If it didn't, it wouldn't have leaped out of the water to save him like that. It was really awesome and took skill to catch Ash like that.

Ash and Lapras then looked ahead and saw Cissy and Blastoise a good distance in front of them. The two had just circled the flag and were on the home stretch. Ash narrowed his eyes. They weren't out of this yet and could still race. They wouldn't be able to catch up by simply swimming, however. There had to be another strategy he could use.

Lapras circled the flag and was now on the homestretch, too. It was just a straightaway now with no curves or anything. Going towards the inside wasn't going to help now. What was something that could increase Lapras' speed? It then hit Ash.

"I've got an idea, Lapras! Use Ice Beam towards the shoreline!" Ash told it. He had scanned Lapras with his pokedex earlier today and saw it knew that move already. There really were advantages to check all of your Pokemon with your pokedex once you capture them. He couldn't believe he had never done this before. Leaf and Serena were right.

Lapras opened its mouth and launched a stream of ice in front of it. The Ice Beam continued going forward until it hit the shoreline. Lapras then lowered the power and brought Ice Beam back towards it. The attack was causing the water to freeze in front of it making an icy slide all the way to finish line.

"Alright! Hop on, Lapras!" Ash said next.

Lapras did as told and hopped on the ice path. It then began sliding along the way it created constantly paddling its fins to pick up more speed. It was also a little easier for Ash to balance right now due to the smoothness of the ride. He smiled as he saw they were indeed going faster and steadily catching up to Cissy and Blastoise.

"Come on, Ash! You can beat her!" Leaf shouted.

"So Lapras is faster on ice? That's a great strategy!" Misty complimented.

"Yeah. Ash is indeed getting closer," Tracey agreed as he watched from his binoculars.

Cissy turned back around and frowned once she saw Ash catching up. She was still glad he wasn't hurt after that last thing they did. Ash had a lot of courage and was above the average Pokemon trainer. That was for sure. Still, that didn't change the fact that she wanted to win, too.

"Alright, Blastoise! Launch back a Hydro Pump to break that ice way!" Cissy ordered, hoping it would slow them down.

Blastoise pointed one of its cannons backwards before shooting and huge amount of water once again. It shot through the air on a collision course with the icy path Lapras created. However, Ash wasn't going to let it reach this time.

"Use Ice Beam on that Hydro Pump to freeze it!" Ash called.

Lapras wasted no time in doing the attack and launched the Ice Beam as quickly as it could. The stream of Ice soon made contact with the Hydro Pump and began to freeze it. It spread along the water unit it became just a huge chunk of ice. It then halted in midair due to the force before splashing in the ocean, never reaching Lapras and Ash.

"Great, Lapras! Let's win this now!" Ash cheered as they began approaching the finish line. It wasn't too far away.

There was no more room for attacks now that it was close to the end. It would slow down both of the competitors too much. The winner would now be based purely on speed.

Ash crouched down low for more balance as they got closer and closer to Cissy and Blastoise. In response, Blastoise began pushing itself even harder. That didn't stop Ash and Lapras, however. They were both closing in fast. It was going to be super close. The two finally caught up and were now just behind Cissy and Blastoise. They were just seconds from the finish line. Lapras then thrust out its long neck to give it an advantage.

Lapras reached the finish line first by a neck length.

Upon reaching the finish line, the transport Pokemon came to an immediate halt. Ash, in response, flew forward due to the sudden force and went flying off Lapras. The Pokemon seemed to sense this as it reached up and caught Ash in its mouth before he could go any further and wind up crashing into something or someone. Ash then smiled at his Pokemon in thanks as the Pokemon set him down on the shore. It was then it hit him.

Ash won. He actually won. He just defeated the first member of the Orange Crew. Ash had decided to stop acting so childish by jumping around and spinning in joy upon a victory. However, he couldn't contain himself this time. This as too exciting.

"Yeeeeeeeeees!" Ash cheered as he leaped into the air with his fist outstretched. Ash could then feel his aura dying away…for now. It had showed up for Ash to use right now and really would've benefited him, but in the end, it wasn't needed. It made Ash feel really good about himself that he didn't use it. His uncle's words rang in his ears about getting as strong as he could by himself first. Only then could aura help him. It looked like he was one step closer now.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu cried as it leaped into Ash's arms to hug him, pushing away his thoughts about his aura.

"Hey there, Pikachu! It looks like we won it!" Ash smiled and returned the hug. "Our first Orange Crew match!"

Serena was next as she ran over and gave Ash a big hug. She was so glad he was okay after something like that. Togepi also joined and hugged Ash's leg for winning, too. Leaf, Misty, and Tracey were next as they went over and high fived or hugged or whatever to show their excitement. Ash really pulled it off.

"Hey, Ash," Cissy called as she and Senta walked towards the excited group.

Ash looked over and saw both siblings smiling at him. Not only that, they appeared to be impressed as well at Ash's victory.

"It was a great race. That was really something to use Lapras' Ice Beam like that," Cissy told him.

"It was really awesome! I've never seen that strategy before!" Senta agreed, actually complimenting Ash for once.

"You definitely earned your win. I can see now how you made it so far in the Indigo Pokemon League, and I bet you'll do great in the Orange League, too," Cissy continued.

"Hey, Ash. I'm really sorry about the way I acted towards you. You're the real deal and have a lot of skill as a Pokemon trainer. I'll be rooting for you in the Orange League," Senta apologized sincerely this time.

"I couldn't have done it without my awesome Pokemon!" Ash smiled as he glanced and Lapras who smiled in return. It was really happy that it assisted Ash in this win. It turned out that it wasn't so bad, after all. It hoped to assist Ash even more throughout their time together. It was really beginning to like Ash.

"They really are great. This badge is yours, Ash. It's the Coral Eye badge of the Mikan Island Gym to show you beat me," Cissy told him as she outstretched her hand to present the item.

Ash took the badge from Cissy's hand, and he and the others stared at it curiously. It looked a lot different from any other badge he had gotten so far. It was a seashell that was pink in color with a blue, sparkling jewel embedded in the center. That seemed rather appropriate for a tropical place like this.

"So it's a seashell," Ash deduced.

"That's right. All of the badges from the Orange League gyms are seashells," Cissy affirmed.

"Thanks, Cissy!" Ash said. He then turned around and proudly showed his new badge to his friends. He just made it past his first challenge. This would be a sign of good things to come. Pikachu then held up a V-shape with its fingers to mimic Ash's old habit again. Surprising, Togepi copied Pikachu's motion just then, also, causing the others to laugh. It seemed Togepi was starting to take after Pikachu.

* * *

The group was now riding atop Lapras as they were traveling to the next island. There was still some light left so they should be able to reach it before sunset. Ash was shining his new badge with a cloth before he pinned it to the inside of the jacket. One down. Three to go.

"They sure weren't kidding when they said the Orange League challenges aren't like regular gym battles. I can only imagine what the rest will be like," Misty commented.

"Well, I have the guidebook right here," Ash said as he reached into his backpack and pulled it out. "I'm sure it will tell me what I need to know."

Serena smiled at Ash's decision. He had learned from his error and was going to be studying as he should. An experience like this would only make him better and wouldn't let him be caught off guard like he was at the Mikan gym earlier today. As long as he used the guidebook and pokedex, he would be armed with enough knowledge to take on anything. She was proud of Ash right now.

"I feel like I'm going to be closer to my Pokemon than ever by the time the Orange League is done," Ash said. "I feel closer to them already. My Pokemon and I were a real team today. It was kind of dangerous, but it paid off in the end and really let me connect with them better so it's alright. I'll try to use all of my Pokemon by the time the Orange League is over so I can get closer to all of them!"

"I remember they did say the Orange League would do that for you. If you keep up how you've been doing, you'll do great," Leaf told him.

"Yep! I'll study hard and win the Orange League!" Ash stated.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu agreed. It had missed out on this challenge, but it was eager to try out some of these Orange Gyms now, also.

"Laaaa!" Lapras added.

"Hey. I hate to change the subject, but I have a question," Tracey intervened.

"What's up, Tracey?" Ash asked him.

"What's this deal about you having aura?" Tracey asked in genuine interest.

"Um…uh…who told you that?" Ash wondered. He knew he never told that to Tracey yet.

"Eheheheh. It might have been we accidentally slipped up and mentioned it within his earshot," Serena mumbled sheepishly as she and Leaf twiddled their thumbs.

"That's amazing! Please! You've got to tell me what it's like! Maybe I could get a sketch of you using it!" Tracey exclaimed in excitement.

Ash chuckled nervously at the Pokemon Watcher's eagerness to learn about it. "Oh. Haha. Well, we have time to kill since we're traveling to another island. You may want to get comfortable. It's quite the story."

* * *

 **Well, Tracey is next in line to learn about Ash and Serena's secret. The next chapter has A LOT of material to cover. I was actually surprised I managed to cram it all into one chapter. It was one of the toughest chapters to write in the Orange Arc so far. I'll see you all on August 20 with the chapter!**

 **Oh! There's a new poll! It's pretty important as it involves Lapras' fate in this story. Should it stay with Ash or not? I'm sort of at a crossroads so I'll ask what you guys think. Just please don't vote on Ash keeping Lapras just for the sake of Ash keeping Lapras. Vote on what you think is best for the actual story. I would even appreciate it if you could send me a PM with the reason why you voted for what you did.**

 **Chapter 8: Performances and Pokevision**

 **Answering the Questions: (slight spoilers)**

 _How would you compare Charizard's loyalty to Ash to its anime counterpart?_

 ** _For right now, it's better. Charizard still didn't listen to Ash at this point in canon._**

 _Will Ash catch a Snorlax in this arc like he did in the Anime?_

 ** _Yes._**

 _How did Lapras get hurt?_

 ** _It will be explained later on._**

 _Will togepi be coddled until it departs like in the anime, or will it learn to battle like cubone?_

 ** _It will be battling by Hoenn at least._**

 _Will Wartortle ever get a new pair of sunglasses to replace his old ones?_

 ** _Haha. Yeah. Ash will get it new ones before this arc is finished.  
_**

 _Will you have Tracey's Marill, Venonat and/or Scyther evolve at all?_

 ** _Not sure yet. They won't evolve in this arc in any case._**

 _So what gender is Ash's Lapras?_

 ** _Female. Look in my profile for all the genders of Ash and Serena's Pokemon._**

 _Will the possible final match between Drake and Ash be the only full 6 on 6 planned in this Arc?_

 ** _Yes. The preliminaries for the Orange League will only be 3 on 3._**

 _Will Porygon appear in the story?_

 ** _Not sure yet. It's not something I've really thought about._**

 _Is Lawrence III the collector Riley has to watch?_

 ** _Yes._**

 _If Riley is Red's brother, then is it true that Red can manipulate the aura?_

 ** _Yes._**


	8. Performances and Pokevision

**A/N: This was a difficult chapter to write so I really hoped it turned out well for everyone. It has a whole lot of content in it.**

 **Glad I created somewhat of a mystery to the trainer from five years ago. The trainer will be mentioned and referenced throughout the arc, and by the end of Orange Islands, you guys will have a pretty good idea of who it is. (and I'm not going to reveal who it was before then)  
**

 **With that, please enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Performances and Pokevision

Having left the Mikan Gym earlier that day, the group was still riding atop Lapras. Ash had already relayed his story to Tracey, who was nothing short of amazed. Serena had also decided to tell Tracey of her ability to use psychic powers. Being part of the group now, they didn't think it would be very fair to keep him in the dark of something like that.

"To think that aura still exists. I thought that bloodline would've died out a while back," Tracey commented in fascination.

"Yeah. There aren't too many people left who know about it," Ash replied.

"And that Serena has psychic abilities. You don't see that every day, either," Tracey added as he now looked at Serena.

"Well, I have no idea how to control them yet. I still don't know what I'm doing," Serena said.

"I'm sure that you two will make an amazing team later on!" Tracey shouted.

The group gave a light chuckle at Tracey's enthusiasm. Yeah. Tracey wasn't the first person to tell Ash and Serena that their powers would complement each other well in the future. At least he wasn't carrying out his earlier wish to get a sketch of Ash and Serena using their powers. Once he found out they couldn't control them, he let go of that pretty quickly. The last thing the group would want was for their powers to go berserk and cause a hazard. Hopefully, that would never come to pass.

"Anyway, it looks like Mandarin Island is just ahead. We made it just in time before dark," Leaf said, changing the subject.

"Mandarin Island? Isn't that nicknamed "The Big Orange?" Misty asked as she and everyone else took a look from Lapras' back.

Sure enough, this so called "island" looked more like a massive city than anything. There were skyscrapers covering all of the area. The evening time was beginning to show all of the massive city in its nightly glory. Bright and flashing lights were all over the city, reaching quite a bit into the ocean. At least that explained what all of the glowing in the distance the group had seen for the past ten minutes. Put quite simply, Mandarin Island looked like a bunch of buildings floating on the water.

"Mandarin Island is the largest city in the Orange Archipelago. They are actually trying to find ways of expanding the island a little bit so it isn't so overcrowded," Tracey informed them.

"Do we have to stop someplace so…industrialized? I kind of miss the peace and quiet of the smaller islands," Misty grimaced.

"It doesn't look like we have a choice. There isn't an island with another Pokemon Center for at least a few more hours. We wouldn't get there until it was really late," Leaf sighed, looking up from the map to the darkening sky.

"Well, it's not all bad. There are several things to do there. They have all kinds of theaters and tons of other stuff," Tracey said, trying to lighten Misty's mood.

"Really? What kind of shows do the theaters play?" asked Serena with interest.

"Well, there are all kinds of fun plays, ranging from drama to comedy. Within the last year, Pokemon performances have really taken over, though," Tracey replied.

"Pokemon performing," Serena mused as she looked down in thought. That was something she hadn't thought about in a while. She left the article about it that Calem had given her back at her house when she left for the Orange Islands.

"Hey. At least it sounds fun. I could use a break after winning at the Mikan Island gym. We could see a lot of shows together. Right, Serena?" Ash asked, directing his attention to her.

Serena whipped her head in Ash's direction and smiled. "Definitely! I'd really like to see one of those Pokemon performances, too!"

"Well, nothing is stopping us. I say we all go!" Leaf chimed in.

"You heard us, Lapras. Looks like we're going to be stopping at Mandarin Island for tonight!" Ash said to it, receiving a cry of acknowledgement from the transport Pokemon.

* * *

Mandarin Island was nuts. People were crowding the streets, and it was extremely noisy. The group had finally made it to the Pokemon Center after getting lost in the maze of streets. They had to stop and ask for directions. It was thankful they found the center when they did as the loud noises were starting to upset Togepi and annoy Pikachu. Mandarin Island was clearly not for the claustrophobic.

It was a little quieter in the Pokemon Center due to needing peace to help injured Pokemon. Some of the noise from the outside would still find its way in, though. It was tolerable at the very least. Togepi would still be able to sleep.

"So what time is the Pokemon Performance tomorrow?" Serena asked Leaf as she rocked Togepi to get it to sleep.

The group was now relaxing in the lobby of the Pokemon Center. Having heard from Nurse Joy that they had performances almost every day, they knew they had to see one while they were here. They also learned that these performances weren't done for any type of award, however. They were only done for fun, and many different people on the island tried it out often to show off their Pokemon.

"It says that they are held at one o'clock sharp," Leaf replied as she looked in a traveler's guide they found on a newspaper rack.

"Pokemon performing. It's hard to believe none of us ever heard about it until Calem mentioned it," Ash commented.

"That reminds me, Serena. Didn't Calem give you an article about it? Have you given Pokemon Performing any thought?" Misty asked.

"He did, but I kind of forgot about it. I feel terrible for doing that since he was trying to help me, but I don't know how I'd fare at it. I mean, it sounded interesting, but…," Serena trailed.

"I think you would do great at it, Serena! You're a master when it comes to fashion! From what I can see, that's almost half the battle!" Ash encouraged

"Yeah, but…," Serena protested.

"I think when we see the show tomorrow that it will give you a better idea of what it's all about. There shouldn't be any rush, Serena," Leaf told her.

"Thanks, Leaf," Serena sighed in relief. She didn't quite know what was wrong with her. Pokemon performing sure did sound interesting so what was causing her to be unsure? She shouldn't have any nervousness about it as it seemed right up her alley. Was it because it was something new? If that was the case, she would've been scared to do the Battle Chateau. She tried it with confidence and was now a Grand Duchess. What was the problem? She was being too indecisive. Was she actually…content with doing nothing?

Serena forced those thoughts from her head. It was as Leaf said, she would get a better idea of what Pokemon Performing was like when she saw the show tomorrow. It was kind of exciting really. Serena's feeling of eagerness to see the show dwindled away her earlier fear of being satisfied the way things are now. She had her whole life ahead of her.

* * *

"Oh, my gosh! This is so exciting!" Serena exclaimed as she eagerly awaited in the audience for the Pokemon showcase to begin. Just because she wasn't so sure herself that this is what she wanted to do didn't mean she was wanting to watch a performance.

There was a rather decent crowd of people at the showcase. It wasn't completely full, but the group was sort of expecting that due to performances being held almost every day. Even so, this must be a very popular attraction. They had actually gotten there early for once and had gotten great seats. They were right in the center of the audience and in the second row of seats.

"So do you think this is anything like contests?" Leaf asked curiously. "We've seen previews of them before, but…"

"They're different things," Tracey assured. "In a Pokemon Contest, the idea is to make your Pokemon as appealing as possible through appeals and battles. In a Pokemon Showcase, there is a theme round at first where you have different challenges, whether it be baking, fashion, or whatever. The next round is where trainers perform alongside their Pokemon. A Pokemon contest is mainly about the Pokemon, but in a Pokemon showcase, the trainer is just as important."

"I see now," Serena replied as she turned back. She had been rather curious herself. She had known about Pokemon Contest ever since she was little, but this Pokemon Showcase was still rather knew. At least now, Tracey gave a good explanation.

"You sure are a wealth of information, Tracey," Misty commented, being highly reminded of Brock's knowledge of different things.

"It comes with traveling the world like I have, Misty," Tracey smiled.

"Sh! It's about to start!" Serena hushed as the lights dimmed, signaling the start.

"Welcome, fans of the Pokemon world!" a man spoke in a French accent as he stepped on to the stage. "I am your host for today, Mossier Jacques! Please enjoy today's splendid performance. Remember that this is not a competitive performance! There will be no award presented other than the satisfaction of having you and your Pokemon be recognized as the most talented and splendid!"

"Oh, so there won't be an award," Serena said a little sadly.

"I can't say I blame them," Leaf told her. "The guidebook said they have these performances a lot on the island, and they are just for fun. Due to their popularity, they would probably always have an extreme shortage of awards to give."

"The performers don't seem to mind, though," Ash added as the group saw three teenage girls enter the stage.

The three girls coming on stage each had a Pokemon by them. One had a Jigglypuff. One had a Ninetales, and the final one had a Buttefree. The girls themselves were rather dressed up, as well. Each had on a sparkling outfit which really stood out in the dimmed lights. Each girl then did a curtsy once they and their Pokemon reached the end of the stage.

"We shall now begin our marvelous performance! I will now lead you audience into our first theme for today! It will be Pokemon styling!" Jacques announced.

"Hey! Pokemon styling. Fashion sure is nothing new to you, Serena!" Ash told her with a smile.

"Mmmhmm!" Serena agreed as her eyes were fixed on the stage.

"For this theme, we shall see who can style their Pokemon the best within ten minutes. The trainers are given an unlimited supply of items to style with. The winner of each round will advance to the second stage! Are our performers almost ready?" Jacques called as each trainer got in their own individual box. Upon receiving a nod, he snapped his fingers. "Very well! S'il vous plait!"

The audience erupted into cheers as each trainer went to work. Serena wasn't so busy focused on cheering like the others were. She was concentrating hard on all of the performers and watching every move they made. Despite not being a serious competition, each girl was entirely focused on what they were doing, but still seemed to be having fun. She could also see where the Pokemon would be helping out itself on occasion. One would really have to have great bond with their Pokemon to work together like that.

"We will now close the curtains so our trainers can provide the finishing touches in privacy!" Jacques yelled as he snapped his fingers once again. Curtains were then draped over all the boxes which hid the performers from all of the audience's view. Now not being able see anything, Serena let her mind wander a bit...

Serena suddenly found she was imagining herself on that stage. She had out on the most beautiful outfit and had all of her Pokemon around her. All of them were dressed up very stylishly, even Fearow, Scyther, and Hitmonlee, which was almost comical. She had hundreds of people cheering and shouting her name in the audience while she did a curtsy. There was a bright flash as the back part of the stage was lit up with her name engraved in the wall behind her.

"Hey, Serena. What's up?" Ash asked as he saw her eyes had started to wander in her daze.

"Oh! I'm good, Ash!" Serena replied with light giggle. Maybe her thoughts were a little over the top, but it would still be nice to be on stage like that.

"Okay, the time is up. May the performers please proceed to the stage! Sara and her Butterfree! Emily and her Ninetales, and lastly, Madison and her Jigglypuff!" Jacques called out.

The three teen girls came out of their boxes and began walking to the front of the stage. All of their Pokemon looked excellent as they each waved and smiled to the audience. It looked like they were having a lot of fun.

"Their Pokemon look so cute!" Leaf smiled as she watched.

Serena couldn't help but agree. She almost wished she had Charla with her at the moment so it could see this. No doubt that the large fire lizard would love to see the show despite mellowing out a little with its fashion interest upon evolving. Now, it was more focused on its relationship with Ash's Charizard.

"Now that you have all seen the Pokemon, may you please press one of the buttons in front of your seat to vote on who looks the best?! The votes will be tallied up once everyone has done so!" Jacques said.

The group looked down and saw a red, blue, and green button in front of them as Jacques had said, each color representing one of the performers. So the audience was the judge of each competition rather than three or four judges? That made sense. Serena thought hard as it was a relatively tough call. They all looked so great. Pokemon performing was all about winning over the audience. Who should she choose?

Serena took this short time to analyze all of the Pokemon. The Butterfree looked lovely with the beautiful ribbon around its neck and the glitter on its wings. However, maybe there was a little too much glitter which took away from the Pokemon itself. The Ninetales was just as beautiful as ever in its outfit and small hat to go with it. It was an excellent choice of clothing, but for some reason, didn't seem to fit right. Last was the Jigglypuff. It had on lovely red dress which surprisingly complemented its round body. It must have been quite the feat to find an appropriate size. The Jigglypuff had a huge red ribbon on its head which matched the dress perfectly. Ultimately not seeing anything wrong with it, Serena voted for the Jigglypuff.

"All of our votes have been cast! Please turn your eyes towards the screen for our results!" Jacques called as he waved his hand around as the images of the girls appeared on the screen.

The votes began tallying up very quickly as everyone waited in anticipation. Before long, all of them finished marking, and the winner was revealed to be the trainer with the Jigglypuff! Serena smiled that her choice had won, but clearly not everyone had chosen the one she did.

"Man. I thought for sure that Butterfree would win," Ash muttered as Pikachu let out a sigh, apparently agreeing with its trainer.

"I don't know, Ash. The Butterfree looked great, but all of that glitter didn't really bring out the beauty of the Pokemon as much as it could have," Serena told him thoughtfully as she crossed her arms.

"Heh. I guess that shows what I know about fashion, huh, buddy?" Ash asked Pikachu.

"Pihihihihi!" Pikachu laughed, not that its fashion sense was any better.

All of the other contestants' performances went by rather smoothly. Each person Serena had voted for was the winner of that round. It was like she just had intuition on who was the best. She was able to judge all of the pros and cons of every outfit to the tee before making her vote. She was almost unaware of how much critique she was actually doing.

"You really seem to be into it, Serena," Misty commented as they voted for the last few participants.

"Of course. I've always loved fashion so it's important that these Pokemon look their best for the performance!" Serena replied.

"I think that this just proves why you would do so well in these!" Ash smiled. "You taste for fashion is unbeatable!"

"Heheheh! Thanks, Ash," Serena blushed at the compliment.

Still, it was rather fun to do this. It made Serena wonder how she would do if she were on the stage. Would she be able to judge what her Pokemon did as well as she could judge others? It was a little hard to say. Serena smiled at the thought of how much fun she would have performing in front of the others. There was no doubt a lot of her Pokemon would like it, too. Hmm...

* * *

The group was now exiting the theater now that showcase was over. It had been a fun time for the whole group. Out of all of them, however, it was Serena who had the most fun. She didn't think Pokemon Performing could be so interesting. The article that Calem had given her was only scratching the surface of what it was about. There was so much more to be learned and so many different themes rather than the same as it was with the Battle Chateau.

"That was really fun! That Jigglypuff was so cute! I'm glad it won!" Leaf commented as they left.

"That Jigglypuff was really something. Its trainer must have worked really hard raising it," Misty agreed.

"Hey, Serena. Could you imagine your own Jigglypuff dressing up in that cutesy outfit? I bet that would drive it crazy!" Ash joked.

The group let out a laugh about how Serena's Jigglypuff would react. The pink puffball Pokemon loved to be the center of attention whether it be through showing off or especially singing. Dressing up and looking cute, however, was a big no on its part. Jigglypuff preferred to rely on its raw looks to win over people, and its tough and stubborn nature would only end up making it embarrassed and angry if it ever had to wear a cute outfit. It would probably knock out everyone in the vicinity with its Pound and Double Slap.

"So this is how everyone in the Orange Islands make themselves known across the regions," Serena mused.

"That's right. These performances and lots of Pokevision videos are shown all across the internet. Many trainers in the Orange Islands hope that one day, they will capture the attention of someone of importance and get a chance to really make a name for themselves in the world," Tracey told them.

"So are people like that actress who introduced Pokevision and performances to the Orange Islands always looking for people with potential?" Ash asked.

"They are. I'm sure they know that talent can be found anywhere, and these types of events are the best way they can discover potential in islands as remote as these are," Tracey replied.

Serena smiled at that. These people in the Orange Islands were incredibly ambitious. That was something she still needed to work on. No doubt that she was known across the Kanto region upon winning the Battle Chateau, but here, no one knew who she was. Not that she had dreams of being rich and famous, but it was a rather unusual contrast. She did need more determination in her life with what she wanted to do. A thought then came to Serena.

"Hey, guys!" she called out, drawing the others' attention. "Why don't we make our own Pokevision video and post it on the internet!?"

"Hey! That's a great idea! I would love to show people all of the different Pokemon I have as well as all of the data received on the different variations of them!" Leaf agreed.

"Count me in! I could show off my awesome and super water Pokemon!" Misty squealed before adding, "Even Psyduck and Shellder!"

"To show the world my Pokemon Watching skills would be really cool. Maybe if I'm really lucky, Professor Oak would see it," Tracey mused.

Ash and Pikachu watched the others with a nervous smile. The raven-haired boy and his partner couldn't ever imagine themselves doing something like that. Looking great and showing the world their talents wasn't something that would hold their interest. It wasn't like they excelled in that area anyway.

"Uh…you guys go ahead and do that! My Pokemon and I will just watch or get some special training in," he chuckled.

"Nonsense, Ash! You should join us, too!" Leaf told him.

"But it's not really something I think I would be good at," Ash replied truthfully while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ash, don't you want to see me make a video?" Serena asked sadly as she went over and looked at him pleadingly.

"Togepiiii!" Togepi added from Serena's arms

"See, Ash? Togepi wants you to come, too," Serena said sweetly.

"Uhhh," Ash uttered as he turned red. Why was his girlfriend acting cute now? She was doing this on purpose! He knew it! He had to be strong! Resist her! He knows that she isn't seriously upset and is just trying to trick him! He would just make a fool of himself!

"Please?" Serena asked cutely as she embraced him, Togepi giving Ash a hug, as well, to mimic its mommy.

Dang it!

"Fine," Ash sighed in defeat. "I'll see what I can do about making a video, but I warn you, I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Chuuu," Pikachu muttered that its trainer had given in. Being in front of a camera was something it really didn't want to experience.

"It's no problem! Leaf and I will help you!" Serena smiled as she pecked Ash on the cheek before releasing him from the hug.

"One question, though. How on Earth are we going to make any Pokevision videos in a place like this? This island is packed with people with absolutely no open spaces," Misty pointed out.

"Well, there is an island that isn't far from here. It would probably only take us about twenty minutes to reach there. It isn't populated so it would be the perfect place to shoot," Tracey spoke up as he looked in the guidebook.

"Really?" Ash, Serena, and Leaf asked taking a look inside the book as well before sweat dropping and chuckling nervously at one feature the guidebook spoke of on the island.

"What is it?" Misty asked curiously as she went to take a look herself, only for the others to quickly close it.

"Nothing at all!" Ash laughed. "We better hurry and rent some equipment so we can get there! There's only so many hours left in the day!"

"Yeah! That's right!" Serena agreed as they started walking purposely forward, leaving a bewildered Misty to follow them.

"Hey. What was that all about?" Tracey whispered in confusion.

"Well, you see, the guidebook said the island we're going to is famous for the bug type Pokemon that thrive there," Serena started.

"So?" Tracey shrugged.

"Misty has this unhealthy phobia of bugs. If she found that out about the island, we'd never be able to get her to that island even with the strength of thirty Tauros," Ash replied quietly.

"It's probably best we don't tell her," Serena smiled nervously.

"Ohhhhhh," Tracey nodded in understanding.

"Hey! What are you three whispering about up there!? Are you keeping secrets from me?!" Misty shouted.

"No!" they all answered.

* * *

"Here we are, guys! I know we'll get some great shots!" Tracey said as the group got off Lapras and onto the beach of the island.

It was a good thing the island didn't take long to reach. The group had to rent several camera equipment so they would be able to make the videos. Lugging all of that in their backpacks had proved to be quite heavy even though they divided it evenly among themselves.

"Wow! This island is beautiful! I gotta admit, we picked a good spot!" Misty smiled as she looked off in the distance at all of the flowers and open fields.

"If only you knew," Ash muttered.

"What was that?" Misty asked while looking at him curiously.

"It's nothing," Ash replied.

Misty scrunched up her face in annoyance as she scrutinized the others. She had a huge suspicion that they were keeping something from her, and she didn't like it one bit. She stared them down as they began to look the other way and avoid her piercing gaze. Okay. Now she really knew they knew something she didn't. They were horrible at trying not to look obvious. Well, whatever. If that's how they wanted to be, she would let it go…for now anyway. She was more interested in trying out this Pokevision than some stupid secret the others weren't telling her.

"Humph! Fine. Be that way," Misty snorted as she turned the other way and deliberately began marching the other direction that led further into the island.

"Misty, wait," Serena called out with a sigh, causing the other girl to turn around. "We would never not tell you something if we thought it would hurt you. This is just something you're better off not knowing. We'll tell you after we leave the island. I promise."

"Well, alright," Misty relented with a shrug. Maybe she was being a little harsh.

"Great! So let's go on! We'll even let you do your Pokevision video first!" Serena smiled as she ran ahead to catch up to Misty.

With that, the group set off into the inside of the island. At least that small incident had been taken care of. Now they could move on and focus on why they came here in the first place. Heck, they may not even see any bug Pokemon while they were here…

…until a Beedrill flew right by Misty's face.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" Misty screamed at the top of her lungs and dashed off, leaving the others behind.

The group grimaced. Well, so much for that hope. Now that the little secret had been revealed, they had nothing to hide from Misty, at least.

"Think she's mad at us?" Ash asked the others sheepishly.

"No doubt," Leaf answered as they ran after Misty.

Surprisingly, it didn't take too long to find Misty. She was huddled in the middle of an open space and sweating profusely. The group could hear her muttering to herself about that if she closes her eyes, the bugs would go away. There were a few Caterpie and Weedle that were crawling around her. Either she didn't know they were there, or she did and they were the bugs that she was muttering to herself about.

The others couldn't help but want to laugh at how ridiculous Misty looked right now. Weedle and Caterpie weren't exactly the most threatening Pokemon out there. Sure, Weedle had a stinger and Caterpie could…String Shot, but that was it. It wasn't like these Pokemon were out to get her like Misty thought they were. In fact, seeing the Caterpie brought back memories for Ash. He remembered his Butterfree. He caught it in Viridian forest as a Caterpie and raised it all the way up to its final evolutionary stage. Then it was released and started a family of its own. Ash couldn't help but wonder where Butterfree was and if he would ever see it again. Ash smiled at the memory and took out an empty pokeball.

"Man, it sure has been a while since I've seen some Caterpie. It takes me back to my first capture. I should get another one!" he declared.

"What?! You can't be serious!" Misty screeched as she looked up from her muttering at Ash, only to see the Caterpie and Weedle around her.

Misty let out another earsplitting scream as she saw the bugs were now in numbers and not just restricted to a single one. Unfortunately, her noise scared all of the Weedle and Caterpie away. Ash frowned as he put the pokeball back in his belt. Well, so much for that idea.

"So when it comes to bug Pokemon, I guess Misty can be a real coward," Tracey shrugged.

"Excuse me. Who are you calling a coward?" Misty asked in a dangerously sweet voice as she stomped hard on Tracey's foot, causing him to yell in pain.

"Hey! Look on the bright side, guys! Since Misty scared all of the bug Pokemon away, we have a perfect place to film our Pokevision videos!" Serena intervened before an argument could break out.

Misty turned away from Tracey to look at Serena with a smile. That's right! She was supposed to do her Pokevision video first! She couldn't wait to show all of her wonderful water Pokemon to the rest of the world! To really show off her bond with her Pokemon, though, she needed to change into her swimsuit. Her regular clothes wouldn't do!

"I'll be right back! I need to change really quick," Misty said as she dug into her backpack for her swimsuit before running off to change in private.

"That's fine. We need to set up the equipment anyway," Serena called over her shoulder as she and the others began getting everything in place.

Tracey sighed as he set everything up. It seemed Misty's fear of bugs would put a real damper on his plans to catch some great bug Pokemon while he was here. He had planned to use Venonat and Marill to help him scout out something strong. The two Pokemon worked perfectly together with Marill's excellent hearing and Venonat's radar-like eyes. At this rate, he may not find something. Every time a bug Pokemon would get near, Misty's screams would probably scare it off. The obvious solution would be to search for bug Pokemon while he wasn't doing his own Pokevision video, but that wouldn't be very supportive of his new friends to watch them do theirs. Hmmm…what do do?

Misty returned a short while later in her red swimsuit. She grinned and struck a pose to the others as if she was making a grand entrance. Her Pokemon were already out with her, with the exception of Gyarados due to its size. Psyduck was looking at Misty while blushing a deep red. The group was trying hard not to laugh that Psyduck was looking at Misty like that. Maybe she wouldn't notice if she didn't look in its direction.

"How do I look, guys?" Misty asked.

"Like you're ready to make a Pokevision video!" Leaf answered with a thumbs up as she began to look through the camera. She had volunteered to be the camera girl.

"Okay. Here we go! Action!" Tracey yelled as he snapped the clapperboard, and Leaf began filming.

"Hi! My name is Misty Waterflower, and these are my awesome water Pokemon!" Misty exclaimed cheerfully as she gestured to each of her Pokemon.

All of her Pokemon then struck a pose, except for Psyduck and Shellder, who still had their eyes fixed on Misty. Shellder then stuck out its long tongue and licked Misty's ankle, causing her to yelp. She then turned and glared at the two for ruining her shot before sighing in annoyance.

"Alright! Cut!" she yelled in exasperation before turning to Psyduck and Shellder. "Come on, you two! I'm trying to make a really great Pokevision video, and I can't if you two are going to be your usual dopey selves."

The two Pokemon looked at her strangely before giving their response. Psyduck held its head in its hands like it had its usual headache before Shellder began laughing mischievously. It loved to tease its trainer so much. Her reactions were the best!

"I think you should let Shellder and Psyduck do as they please, Misty," Ash suggested. "It can show off all of the variety of Pokemon personalities you have on your team."

Misty turned back to look at the two Pokemon to study them before sighing. "Fine. Carry on," she muttered to them before turning back to the camera and signaling Leaf to start filming again.

"Alright! Action!" Tracey yelled as he snapped the clapperboard again.

"My water Pokemon and I love to take swims together! We have all kinds of fun and even do tricks!" Misty continued now that film had started.

Staryu and Starmie then launched a light Water Gun under Misty. The water soon began to accumulate and began to lift Misty off the ground. Soon, Goldeen joined in to give Misty more balance as she sat down on the seat of water that her Pokemon had made. Misty then gave a contented sigh and flashed a lovely smile at the camera.

"If you ever see me around, stop and say hi! I'd love to talk to you about anything, especially water Pokemon!" Misty finished the last part with a laugh.

Shellder and Psyduck stood by with confusion etched on their faces, not quite understanding. They then turned and saw the camera was focused away from them and only on Misty, Goldeen, Staryu, and Stamie. They wanted to be in focus, too! The two Pokemon ran over to be in from the camera and began hopping up and down. Misty frowned at the two's antics.

"Come on, you two. You're blocking my view," she whispered as she gently pushed them out of the way.

The two Pokemon didn't listen, however. They went back in front of the camera and began hopping up and down so they would be noticed. Misty's eye twitched as she struggled to keep her anger in check. Psyduck and Shellder were just being themselves. No harm done.

That was until Psyduck, being the clumsy Pokemon that it is, lost its footing while it was jumping and fell over. It crashed into Shellder which knocked the bivalve Pokemon away and right into Staryu. The ensuing crash caused the Pokemon holding Misty up to lose their focus and cancel their Water Guns which caused Misty to fall hard on her behind. She rubbed it painfully before glaring at Psyduck and Shellder with a death glare.

"That's it! You two are so going to get it!" Misty screamed as she got up and began to chase them around.

"Yep! Misty sure does have an incredible bond with her Pokemon! No human shows their Pokemon the amount of attention she gives hers," Ash said with nervous smile as he walked in front of the camera and gestured to Misty, who was still yelling and screaming after Psyduck and Shellder.

It wasn't too much longer before the group had wrapped up Misty's filming. They had gone to the side of the beach so Misty could get some great shots of her and her Pokemon in the water. After watching the raw footage, it all looked pretty clunky and terrible, but Leaf assured Misty that once it was done editing that the video would look super.

"So which of us should go next?" Ash asked as they walked back to the clearing.

"I think you should go, Ash," Serena suggested. "I really want to see what you have to say about your Pokemon!"

"Uhhhh…I know I agreed to come watch you guys, but I don't know the first thing about making Pokevision videos," Ash replied nervously before adding, "Besides, being in front of camera makes me kind of nervous."

"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed from his shoulder, not exactly wanting to be in front of a camera, either.

"Nonsense, Ash! You would probably have more to talk about than any of us! I bet if you try, you can make the best Pokevision video there is!" Leaf told him.

"I don't think this is such a good idea," Ash grimaced as he and Pikachu exchanged glances, as if asking the other for help but receiving none.

Despite Ash and Pikachu's protests, the two soon found themselves standing in front of a filming camera. The two had blank expressions on their faces and were frozen on the spot. They looked like they had absolutely no clue what to do. This is why Ash would never be an actor when he grew up.

"Come on, Ash. Talk," Leaf said as she made a talking gesture with one of her hands.

"Well…what do I say?" Ash asked in an unsure tone.

"You can talk about how you and Pikachu are best friends. You can talk about how far you made it in the Pokemon League. You can talk about how you're competing in the Orange League," Serena suggested.

"Uh…," Ash uttered.

"Here, Ash. I know. Talk about your relationship with Togepi!" Serena smiled as she went over to Ash and handed him Togepi before running back behind the camera.

Ash looked at Togepi who began laughing playfully that it was now in its daddy's arms. This was one of the few times that he was at a complete loss at what to say. The way he was looking skeptically at Togepi highly reminded the group of his first day with it.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu muttered.

"Ash, we're wasting film," Leaf said in an attempt to get him to say something.

Ash snapped his head up and gave a really cheesy smile at the camera. It looked incredibly forced. That was okay, though. At least he was doing something now. He then gave that same smile to Pikachu and Togepi who returned it. Pikachu returned it because it was just as unsure about this as its trainer and Togepi just because…it was Togepi. Finally, Ash began to speak.

"Uh…hi. My name is Ash Ketchum from the town of Pallet. This is Pikachu, and this is Togepi," he said in a very stiff voice. He began sweating, and his knees then began trembling as he went on.

"Heheheheh…yeah. This Togepi is my baby. Well…it isn't _really_ my baby. It actually came from a Pokemon egg. It's like my baby, though. Heheheh. Yeah. I guess that means I'm not its real father, but I'm like a father to it. I mean…it would be kind of silly if two humans gave birth to a baby Pokemon, right? Heheheheh? Besides, I'm not married. I have a girlfriend named Serena, but we…we haven't done anything to have babies yet! I mean, to have a baby, we have to have…" Ash began rambling.

"Alright! Alright! That's enough! You don't need to go any further than that!" Misty cut in while she and everybody else looked embarrassed _for_ Ash. Pikachu made a puking sound.

None of them looked even close to as embarrassed as Serena, however. She was blushing beet red as she hid her face from everyone. Good grief, Ash! She couldn't believe what he was about to say! Did his brain completely disconnect from his mouth when he was in front of that camera?! Thank God that no one else was around to hear any of that. She could probably just disappear right now. Maybe Ash doing Pokevision wasn't the best idea, after all.

"Hey, Ash. How about you just don't say anything for the rest of the film? Tracey can do the talking for you," Leaf grimaced.

"Heheheh. Yeah. Good idea," Ash agreed as his teeth chattered, only now realizing what he was implying with him and Serena. Geez! Could he get any more awkward than he already was? He chanced a look at Serena. She looked as if she wanted to run for cover. He flashed an apologetic smile at her, but all she did was blush even harder and turn away.

Ash's attempt to do Pokevision had gone by without another incident of him putting his foot in his mouth. Leaf and Serena had drawn up a script for him to read off of, and Tracey would do the talking for Ash to hide the raven-haired boy's nervous sounding voice. "Ash" had talked about how he was best friends with his partner, Pikachu. He spoke about the amazing Pokemon he has, and he finished by saying how he got into the Top Four in the Indigo Pokemon League and was now competing in the Orange Islands. It was pretty ironic that the person who would have the most to talk about would say the least. It was pretty short.

Serena's turn was next. She was probably the most excited out of everyone in the group to do a Pokevision video. She let out all of the Pokemon she had with her so they could be in the Pokevision video, too, having made a few swaps for this purpose. She now had with her Charla, Fearow, Nidorina, Jigglypuff, Scyther, and Gloom. She figured she could get a few shots of Charla, Scyther, and Fearow soaring the skies while showing off Jigglypuff's singing talent and Gloom's dancing. Nidorina could help her while she was showing off her cooking skills.

Fearow, however, wasn't as eager as the others. It saw the camera being fixed on it and promptly turned away. It wasn't one for being on film. Sure, it wanted to be noticed by everyone its entire life, but not this way.

Scyther, on the hand, wasn't nervous around a camera. It just simply didn't want to. It considered making something as silly as a Pokevision video beneath it. The mantis Pokemon gave a yawn before going over to a nearby tree to practice sharpening its scythes. Ash immediately scooted out of the way of the tree since that was one Scyther was going for. Whether that was on purpose or not, Ash didn't know.

"Come on, you two. It will be fun!" Serena urged the two more reluctant Pokemon. Charla, Jigglypuff, Nidorina and Gloom made a cry of agreement.

Scyther just shook its head in response as it continued sharpening its scythes. It would rather face the wrath of its trainer than be on camera. Maybe that was just its arrogance talking, but it was a very prideful Scyther, and it didn't want its reputation tarnished by doing some Pokevision video. It lived for battling, not acting. Fearow looked away nervously. It wanted to please Serena, but that blinking red light was driving it crazy!

"Fearow, there is no reason to be scared," Serena said gently. "I would never do anything to you that would make you look bad. I know you're sensitive to this. That's why we can show off your strengths here. You can show everyone how great your flying abilities are by doing all sorts of tricks in the air!"

While Fearow thought about that, Scyther spat in disgust. It didn't need to show off its tricks to let everyone know how great it was. There was nothing its trainer could say that would make it do a Pokevision video. In fact, no Pokemon could get it to do a Pokevision video, not even another Scyther! It was the strongest of its kind and could take on anything that said different!

Scyther then saw another blade stab the tree that wasn't its own. Narrowing its eyes, Scyther peered around the tree to find another Scyther that was also sharpening its blades. This Scyther didn't appear young, though. It was quite scruffy-looking which proved that it had seen many heavy battles in the past. Serena's Scyther wasn't going to stand for this, though. This geezer needed to get out of here. This was its tree!

"Scy Scyther!" Serena's Scyther yelled at the elder Scyther to intimidate it and shoo it away.

The elder Scyther looked up from sharpening its scythes and looked questioningly at the younger Scyther before it. It then rolled its eyes in response and continued its business. That was problem with all younger Scyther. They were extremely arrogant and thought they were better than anything else. The wild Scyther also used to think that way, but age and wisdom eventually taught it differently. It knew this Scyther wasn't as big and bad as it was making itself out to be.

"Hey. What's going on over there, Scyther?" Serena wondered, not being able to see the other Scyther through the thicket of trees.

Serena's Scyther growled in response as it continued to glare at the older Scyther before it. If this thing wouldn't go away, it could make it go away. It then reached out with one of its blade-like arms and smacked the elder Scyther across the face. The wild Scyther's head jerked to the side at the sudden slap before it slowly and dangerously turned its head back to Serena's Scyther. It may be getting on in years, but it will teach this arrogant Scyther a thing or two.

Without warning, the older Scyther took flight and launched forward, crashing into Serena's Scyther with a Wing Attack, knocking it backwards. Serena's Scyther landed on the ground painfully as the elder Scyther finally flew into the clearing, revealing itself to the other Pokemon and humans there.

"Wow! Take a look at that Scyther!" Tracey exclaimed in excitement.

"Is that a wild one?" Ash asked.

"Definitely! I can tell as it doesn't appear well kept and kind of scruffy. It must have a lot of experience!" Tracey said as he took out his sketchbook to sketch it.

"Scyther! Why are you causing trouble with the other Pokemon around here?!" Serena scolded. It was true she hadn't seen the exchange and the meeting of the two Scyther, but she knew her Pokemon well enough to know that it was the one who started the fight and not the wild one.

Serena's Scyther sprang up from the ground and glared at the other Scyther. Very rarely did it flat out ignore Serena when she was talking to it, but it didn't want any help right now. It could defeat this old-timer and prove that it was the strongest Scyther. It could deal with its trainer's wrath later. It then flew towards its opponent to deliver a Slash attack, but the elder Scyther sidestepped the attack and swatted Serena's Scyther down with both of its scythes.

Serena's Scyther hit the ground again and gritted its teeth. How dare this old geezer try to show it up like it was better! It will show it a thing or two! Scyther then leaped from the ground again before spinning like a fan to use Swords Dance. The elder Scyther almost smirked at that before it copied its movements to use Swords Dance, also. Once they were finished, they flew at each other and delivered a series of blows back and forth.

"Wow. That other Scyther sure can put up a fight," Ash observed as he and the others watched.

Serena's Scyther was then knocked to the ground again as it landed beside Ash. Upon seeing the raven-haired boy, Scyther let out a cry of frustration and swiped one of its scythes at him to let off some steam. Pikachu leaped in front of its trainer to protect him, but there was no need. The elder Scyther stuck its blade in the way of Scyther's assault and blocked it so Ash was never harmed. Ash got out of his cringing state and was surprised and relieved to see the wild Scyther actually protected him!

"That's a pretty honorable Scyther. I like this guy," Tracey smiled as he continued to sketch as best as he could despite the erratic fighting pattern.

Ash wanted to voice his thanks, too, but chose not to. Scyther's attention had been diverted back to the wild one's again, and Ash didn't want to remind Scyther that he was still here. Serena's Scyther once more swung at the other Scyther, but the elder one blocked the attack before knocking Scyther to the ground once again.

Serena was sort of at a loss of what to do as she watched. A part of her wanted to help Scyther since it was her Pokemon. Still, another part believed that her Scyther actually needed a beating like this for a change to give it a nice slice of humble pie. Besides, even if she did give it commands, Scyther probably wouldn't listen anyway due to it wanting to beat another of its kind by itself.

Everyone then gasped as the elder Scyther dropped to one knee and began panting. Its age was finally starting to show as it was tiring out faster despite winning so far. Serena's Scyther got up from the ground and smirked. That was one thing it had over this geezer, endurance and energy. Now that this Scyther was out of gas, it should have no trouble kicking its butt now. Scyther licked its two scythes savagely before flying straight for the older Scyther.

The aging Scyther grimaced as it saw Serena's coming closer for a deadly Slash attack again. It threw up one of its scythes as it blocked Serena's Scyther's attack, but there was still a lot of force behind the attack, and it was knocked to the ground for a change. Scyther grinned maliciously as it stood over its opponent. It then went to stab the elder Scyther with X-Scissor, but the other quickly used Double Team and split into multiple images of itself. Scyther's X-shaped claws went through an illusion. It then quickly turned around only to be met with an X-Scissor to the face from its opponent instead.

"That Scyther is really impressive," Tracey commented as he stopped and admired the drawing he had for a second. Truthfully, Scyther was his favorite bug Pokemon. He had really been hoping to find one while he was here. He didn't have to, however. One came to them.

The older Scyther once more dropped to its knee. Serena's Scyther sprang up once more before changing its strategy a little bit. This oldie would beat it when it got close, but what about attacking from afar. Scyther smirked as it shot an Air Slash at its opponent. The older Scyther's eyes widened as it wouldn't be able to block this attack. It wouldn't be able to fly out of the way, either. The super effective attack slammed into it, and it flew backwards before hitting a tree at the edge of the clearing.

Serena's Scyther flew over to the downed Scyther and stared it down. The elder Scyther was breathing heavily and sweating while gasping in pain. It looked like it didn't have the strength to fight anymore. Upon seeing its opponent beaten, Scyther turned around and let out a mighty cry to all of the humans and Pokemon around it. It had just let them know that it was the better Scyther. It raised its blades into the air and cried out to the sky at its victory.

"Boy, that win surely went to its head," Misty muttered in distaste.

Serena sighed as she watched her unruly Scyther praise itself. She supposed she should congratulate it on its victory over another of its kind, but that would only add to its ego. Scyther would still probably listen to her in battle, but this would do nothing about following regular orders. In truth, she really wasn't pleased with the way her Scyther was acting right now. Her other Pokemon were thinking the same thing, even Fearow, despite finding common ground with Scyther in their dislike for Ash.

"Hey, wait a minute," Tracey said quietly as he and the rest of the group saw the wild Scyther stirring behind its opponent.

The older Scyther looking at its arrogant rival and shook its head in distaste. There was no honor or discipline to be found if one were to act like that when its wins. Not to mention, it was also very foolish to turn one's back on an opponent, no matter what the circumstances. It then stealthily stood up behind Serena's Scyther, who still had its back turned and was gloating over its victory. It then reached out and swiped at Serena's Scyther with a Slash attack right in its weak point.

Serena's Scyther's eyes widened and let out a gasp of pain at the sneak attack. It turned around just in time to see another blade coming straight for its face. Scyther was struck in the face as it let out another yell of pain. It then fell to the ground with a resounding thud. It grimaced as it hit the ground as it struggled to get back up. Those last two attacks had really hurt. The elder Scyther then stood over its rival and stabbed both its scythes on either side of Serena's Scyther to give it nowhere to go.

Serena's Scyther turned around to stare its opponent in the eye with a heated glare. The elder Scyther didn't seem intimidated in the least, however, and matched its glare. For a while, neither of them moved and only stared at the other. The group watched in anticipation to see what either Scyther would do in the tension.

Finally, Serena's Scyther let out a frustrated sigh and lowered its blades to the ground to signify its submission. One wrong move and this elder Scyther wouldn't hesitate to slit its body. It knew it had been beaten despite hating to admit it. How could it have lost to this old geezer?! It was supposed to be the best of its kind. Nothing should've been able to insult its pride like this! When it first met that raven-haired boy, he had insulted its pride to which only made it angry. This was a different sort of wound to its pride, though. It was the wound that let it know that it wasn't as great as it thought, the kind that hurt mentally and not just physically. Upon seeing the Serena's Scyther give in, the older Scyther brought its claws away from its face and stood back.

Serena approached her Scyther and knelt down next to it with a sigh. Upon seeing its trainer, Scyther turned red in embarrassment and looked away. It had totally disrespected its trainer all day due to its arrogance. Now, to see her looking at it with pity like that made it feel like scum. It hated being looked down upon like that.

"Scyther," Serena began.

The mantis Pokemon gave no reply.

"Scyther," Serena tried again.

With a frown, Scyther finally turned to its trainer. It realized she probably wouldn't leave it alone unless it acknowledged her. It wasn't really in the mood, though. Serena was probably going to give it a piece of her mind and lecture it that it wasn't as great as it thought it was, how something will always be stronger than it, and to listen to her when it is supposed to. It didn't need to be told any of this. Blah. Blah. Blah.

That was when Scyther was surprised when Serena did none of those things. All she did was reach into her pocket and pull out a Super Potion before presenting it towards Scyther. The mantis Pokemon stared in confusion at the bottle of medicine before giving a questioning look at Serena. What was this all about?

As if reading its thoughts, Serena answered with a small smile, "You don't need to be lectured, Scyther. I know that. There's nothing to be said. Just know that we're partners in everything."

Scyther looked back down at the bottle and smirked. Serena did seem to know it well. There was a silent exchange of words between the two. Everything that needed to be said was in that one bottle of Super Potion. A Pokemon fought in battle, and its trainer would heal its wounds. That was the type of relationship Scyther wanted, and Serena knew it. The mantis Pokemon wasn't something for a lovey-dovey relationship, and both Scyther and Serena were okay with that. Scyther knew its trainer was scary when angered, but she truly did understand its feelings.

It then nodded its head at Serena, signaling that she could use the Super Potion. The honey-blonde haired girl smiled again and proceeded to use the medicine. Upon emptying the bottle, Scyther felt as good as knew. It stood up and stretched out its claws and wings before looking at Serena and smirking again. Yeah. She had won its respect for loyalty now rather than through fear like before.

"Do you want to try to do Pokevision with us now, Scyther?" Serena asked as she gestured back to her other Pokemon.

Scyther looked over Serena's shoulder and saw the other Pokemon watching it, not with annoyance like it was expecting, but simply just waiting patiently. Fearow was nodding its head slightly as if coaxing Scyther over. The two did share their dislike of Ash, but they had found other things in common in their short time together. Scyther normally wouldn't admit it, but it had a darn good team of comrades. They understood its feelings. Heh. Son of a gun. Who would've thought that such a proud Pokemon could be brought down to accept the others? Who would think it actually liked it, too?

"Scy," it replied finally in the positive.

"Sounds good, Scyther! Let's make the best Pokevision video ever!" Serena exclaimed.

The group smiled at Scyther's changed attitude. It normally listened to Serena before, but the circumstances have changed now. She had won the mantis Pokemon's respect, and that was what really counted. It seemed it would be causing a lot less trouble from now on. To test it out, Ash cautiously approached Scyther.

"Hey, Scyther. Are we good, too?" Ash asked it.

Scyther turned and faced Ash with a heated glare which immediately made Ash shrink back. He then relaxed as he saw Scyther soften its gaze and smirk at Ash instead before chuckling and going back to walk towards its teammates. Ash sighed in relief. Well, at least it didn't attack him. One step at a time it seems. Maybe Scyther could now slowly get over its dislike for Ash, too.

The raven-haired boy turned towards Fearow. Upon learning the boy was watching him, Fearow rolled its eyes and turned away. Well, he still had a lot of work to do as far as the beak Pokemon was concerned.

The elder Scyther, meanwhile, had turned back around. Its work here was done. It had defended its wisdom and skills against that young one. It was about to head back off in the woods when Tracey had ran up to it. The wild Scyther turned to Tracey with a questioning look. Why was he just running up it like that? What did he want?

"Hey, Scyther. I just wanted to let you know that you did quite a display. You must have endured some heavy battles," Tracey told it.

The old Scyther shrugged in response. It didn't need a human to make it feel good. Scyther knew what it was. It went to continue on its way before Tracey called out to it.

"I'd really love to have a great Pokemon like you travel with me. We could see the world together. Your experience would undoubtedly be great for a Pokemon Watcher like me. We could be a great team!" Tracey exclaimed.

The old Scyther stumbled forward a bit at being caught off guard like that. It then turned and gave Tracey a look of disbelief. Did he just seriously invite it to be a trainer's Pokemon? Yeah right. It had been a wild Pokemon its whole life and started off just fine. It merely shook its head before taking flight and flying off in the distance.

"Hey! Wait up!" Tracey yelled after it.

The older mantis Pokemon didn't listen, though. It didn't need a trainer. The only reason it had even showed itself to those humans in the first place was because of the other Scyther making trouble with it. It had absolutely no intention of becoming anyone's Pokemon. It preferred to be free and take care of any problems around the area. That's what it did. Still, it was getting rather tired these days and knew it wouldn't be able to defend itself properly forever. Oh well. It would cross that bridge once it got there.

"Hey, Tracey. Tough luck. I remember you saying you really wanted a Scyther," Misty said sympathetically. She was still extremely terrified of bug-types, but she still wanted her friend to be happy.

Tracey watched with sadness as the Scyther flew off, completely rejecting his offer. It was probably a long shot that Scyther would want to join him, but he tried. Tracey then shook his head and instead smiled with determination. Having a bummed out attitude like that wasn't the Pokemon Watcher way. If the Scyther didn't want to join him, that was its decision, and he would respect it.

"It's no problem, guys," Tracey replied as he turned back around. "A Pokemon Watcher never gives up that easily. I don't know why, but I have a feeling I'll see that Scyther again one day."

"Well, we'll be rooting for you. I just hope that Scyther feels the same way. They can be really hard to win the loyalty of," Leaf said.

"Yeah, but Scyther are pretty cool Pokemon, aren't they?" Serena asked with a knowing smile at her own Scyther, who gave an uncharacteristic smile rather than a smirk in return.

* * *

"Hey, guys! Our Pokevision videos are done editing now!" Leaf announced cheerfully as she ran into Mandarin Island's Pokemon Center.

The group turned and grinned broadly. They had found a small studio on Mandarin Island that had offered to edit their videos. Because there was so much raw footage, it had taken a while for them to do. It was almost two days later since the group had done their Pokevision. Now they could finally see if their work paid off. Out of all of them, though, Serena was the most excited.

"Awesome, Leaf! Where can we view them?!" Serena asked excitedly.

"The studio gave me the website. We can see them on one of the Pokemon Center's computers!" Leaf answered as she hurried over to a vacant PC and turned it on.

The others crowded around Leaf as they tried to get the best view possible. Leaf quickly logged onto the internet before hastily typing the website the studio had given her. It was conveniently named " ". It wasn't the main website where most people made themselves known in the world. Only the best ones were played in public, and that could take a while until it gained enough popularity for that to happen. This was still a good site where everybody started off, though.

"Hey, Leaf. Could we please see mine first?" Misty requested. She really wanted to see how her tricks with her Pokemon had turned out.

"Sure!" Leaf replied with a smile as she searched for Misty's video.

Luckily, the studio had uploaded all of their videos on the same page so they were all easy to find. With that, Leaf clicked on the link, and the group waited for the video to load. After a few seconds, a countdown appeared on the screen, going from five to one. At zero, the screen lit up in bright white before fading into an image of Misty with all of her Pokemon. The video then began.

"Hi there! I'm Misty, and these are my Pokemon!" Misty declared as she gave a bright smile and gestured to all of her Pokemon behind her.

The screen then cut to an image of Misty swimming with her Pokemon underwater. They were all side by side in perfect sync. The exception was Psyduck, who was desperately trying to keep up by frantically dog paddling after the others. It didn't make Misty look bad, however. If anything, it could be considered in there for comical effect. Misty and her Pokemon then began gracefully doing twirls in the ocean before breaking the surface. Misty then spread her arms out as her Pokemon continually leaped over her making magnificent splashes in the ocean.

"My Pokemon and I love swimming with each other and thinking up all sorts of ways to improve ourselves. I guess it could be expected when you're a Sensational Sister!" Misty's voice could be heard on the video.

The screen then went the part where Misty was being raised up off the ground by her Pokemons' Water Guns. They had reshot that scene after Shellder and Psyduck's interruption, and now it had turned out really great. Misty gave a smile and wave at the camera before her voice was heard again.

"If you see me around, don't hesitate to say hello! I'll gladly talk to you, especially if it's about water Pokemon!" Misty said before the screen faded out, signaling the end.

"Wow, Misty! That was really good! I'd say that you're a natural!" Leaf smiled as she turned back around to see Misty's reaction.

"No kidding! I was impressed!" Tracey added

The red-haired girl smiled back. "I'm really glad it turned out well. I was so worried!"

"Yeah. Who knew you could be good at something like that?" Ash smiled, completely missing how he made it sound.

"What was that, Ash Ketchum?" Misty growled as she reached over and began pinching his neck until he cried for mercy.

"Sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" Ash cried.

"Then let's see yours next, Mr. Wise Guy," Misty huffed as she turned back towards the screen and nodded to Leaf to go for Ash's.

"Uh, I don't know, guys. I don't think mine turned out very well, especially since Tracey was talking for me," Ash muttered as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh. I can't be that bad, Ash. I'm sure it turned out a lot better than you thought!" Serena reassured.

The countdown image appeared on the screen just like before with Misty's video. It then faded into an image of Ash standing with Pikachu on his shoulder and Togepi in his arms. Quite frankly, he looked scared stiff. Pokevision was really not his thing. Upon seeing the look of his face on the screen, Ash pulled his hat down over his face to hide his embarrassment.

"Hi there! My name is Ash Ketchum. This is Pikachu and Togepi!" said "Ash".

"Hmm…I guess Tracey does a good impression of Ash's voice," Leaf shrugged. It wasn't bad for voice acting.

"I'm aiming to be the world's best Pokemon Master!" he continued before opening up his jacket to show off his eight badges on one side before opening the other side to show the Coral Eye badge he got from Cissy

"Kill me now, Pikachu," Ash whispered to his rodent partner, unable to watch anymore.

"Chuuuu," Pikachu sighed as it watched for Ash. It wasn't really made for the film industry itself.

The screen then showed Ash standing with six of his Pokemon at this side: Pikachu, Pidgeot, Tauros, Lapras, Bulbasaur, and Wartortle. They actually looked just as uncomfortable in front of the camera as Ash did. Like Pokemon like trainer, they supposed.

"My Pokemon and I make a great team together! There is no way we could be where we are today if it wasn't for our bond. We've done everything together!" the voice of "Ash" said as it cut to a scene which showed them sleeping together and training together. It was the only part of the video so far where Ash or his Pokemon didn't look nervous.

"If you want to talk about Pokemon or whatever, just give me a shout. I'd love to meet you!" Ash waved hastily before the screen shut off.

"Please don't say how terrible it was," Ash pleaded, still refusing to look at the computer screen.

"Well, you and Tracey's lip syncing was perfect," Leaf shrugged, trying to find at least one good thing about the video.

"That's right, Ash. Even if the production wasn't the best, I'm sure you still gave off the vibe that you are an excellent trainer who loves his Pokemon, especially during the training part!" Serena encouraged.

"Heh. Thanks, Serena," Ash replied.

"I guess we can see mine next," Tracey spoke up.

"No problem!" Leaf answered as she clicked on Tracey's video link.

Like with the others, the screen counted down five to one before starting. It started off with Tracey standing with Marill and Venonat in a pose that just screamed he was ready for adventure. It then changed to where he was holding all of his Pokemon Watcher equipment.

"Hi! I'm Tracey Sketchit! I'm a Pokemon Watcher, and this is Marill and Venonat," Tracey introduced as she gestured to his Pokemon. The two Pokemon bounced up and down in acknowledgment.

"My Pokemon and I form a great team when we're looking for the best Pokemon to sketch and take notes of," Tracey's voice said as the video showed him and his Pokemon pretending to look around for Pokemon.

The video then went to a scene of Tracey sketching a Pokemon, which was Misty's Starmie. He seemed to be very into it and appeared as if he were trying to get a hold of every detail possible.

"I'd be happy to show you my work at any time. Of course, my dream is to one day meet Professor Oak and have him see my work. Professor Oak, I hope you're watching this!" Tracey suddenly shouted from the video.

The others all gave a small laugh at the last part. Tracey's idolization of Professor Oak knew no bounds. He even included it in his own Pokemon video. The screen then went black to signal it had ended.

"That was pretty good, too, Tracey!" Serena grinned as she looked at the teenager.

"Oh thanks! I didn't do much, though!" Tracey said nervously, getting flustered at the attention again.

"I'd say you have a thing for making videos, too!" Leaf added before turning to Serena. "Do you want to see yours next, Serena?"

"That's okay. I'll just go last. We can watch yours," Serena told her.

"Alright!" Leaf replied as she turned to click on the link to her own video.

The video began just like the others had so far. It showed Leaf with a lot of her Pokemon as she had her National Dex in one hand.

"Hi, there! I'm Leaf Green! These are only a sample of all the awesome Pokemon I have!" her voiced sounded as she proudly presented the Pokemon beside her.

"I'm doing all I can to find every type of Pokemon in the world and fill up my pokedex!" she said.

The video then cut to her searching for Pokemon. It showed her crawling through some bushes, fishing in the ocean with her Super Rod, or searching the skies on the back of one of her Pokemon. It then showed an image of Leaf's pokedex up close, and it began to scroll through, showing all of the different kinds of Pokemon she had seen. To be fair, it was coming along quite well.

"There are still a few I haven't seen, but I'm aiming to fix that by finding them, and then maybe even seeing some that aren't discovered!" Leaf said.

The video then showed Leaf with a bright smile on her face with her hands behind her back.

"Make sure to say hi if you spot me, especially if you have some cool Pokemon!" she said as her video cut off.

"Yeah. That definitely highlighted your ambition to fill up the pokedex," Ash nodded towards Leaf.

"You make it sound like a bad thing, Ash," Leaf said as she turned towards him.

"Heh. What would I know about making Pokevision?" Ash shrugged.

"Alright, Serena. We all know you were the most excited about your Pokevision video out of all of us. I think it's safe to say we saved the best for last!" Leaf told her, ignoring Ash.

"Okay, then! I'm ready!" Serena said confidently as Leaf clicked on her video.

This was it. Her mother was always encouraging her that Serena would look good through some type of performance in a crowd. This would be a taste of what that would be like. She and her friends were the first to see the videos, but after that, a lot of other people would, too. She remembered how the captain of the ship said that this was how people in the Orange Islands made themselves known in the world of Pokemon. She didn't live here, but maybe it would help her decide what her strengths and weaknesses are.

The countdown finished to zero and Serena was shown with Charla, Nidorina, Fearow, Scyther, Gloom, and Jigglypuff. She and her Pokemon all gave a wave to camera with a smile on their face, even Scyther and Fearow. If one knew their personalities, it would almost seem out of place for them, but they actually pulled it off quite well.

"Hi! I'm Serena, and these are my partners!" Serena announced as she gestured backwards.

It then showed Serena playing with her Pokemon before showing her riding on the back of Charla with Fearow and Scyther flying beside them. The three Pokemon then began doing acrobatic moves in the sky which were quite impressive. They were rather surprised Fearow and Scyther were doing it, and even seemed to enjoy it, also!

"We do all sorts of things together, whether it be playing, battling, or even cooking!" Serena's voice exclaimed.

The video then cut to her taking out a tray of cookies. She had gotten the recipe from none other than Brock's cookbook. Her Pokemon were beside her, humorously wearing a cooking apron just like she was. Nidorina hungrily looked at the tray of cookies as Serena set them down to cool. Unable to contain itself anymore, the gluttonous Pokemon lunged forward and scarfed down a cookie before the others had time to react.

"Some of my Pokemon enjoy it a little more than others, though," Serena's voice said a little sheepishly before the video cut to she and all of her Pokemon eating a cookie.

"Despite that, we always remember to share!" she finished.

The video then showed a scene of Serena, Gloom, Nidorina and Charla with a row of dresses in front of them, trying to find which one looks better.

"Like me, a lot of my Pokemon like to stay clean and look our best!" Serena said.

Then the video cut to Fearow, Scyther, and Jigglypuff, who appeared to be doing other things before there was a snapshot of those three in clothes, as well. Jigglypuff looked rather angry at having to play dress up while Fearow and Scyther looked mortified in their "fashionable" clothes. Upon seeing this, the group couldn't help but laugh at the Pokemons' expressions.

"Some enjoy it more than others, but that's why I always make sure to cater to my other Pokemons' needs, too!" Serena's voice said before it showed her training Jigglypuff, Scyther, and Fearow by having them battle. That appeared to be something that the three tough-natured Pokemon seemed to enjoy.

It then showed Serena doing activities alone with Togepi. It showed her playing with it, reading to it, or rocking it to sleep.

"Despite my busy life, I still always make time for Togepi. I'm raising it like it's my own child, and I love it very much," Serena said before it showed her hugging the spikeball Pokemon.

The video then cut to Serena and her Pokemon waving at the camera.

"If you see me, please stop and say hi!" she said before the video cut off.

"So, what did you guys think?" Serena asked them.

"That was awesome, Serena! I think it was the best one!" Leaf smiled.

"I think it's a natural talent!" Tracey added.

"Well done! I really enjoyed it!" Misty finished.

"Toge! Toge!" Togepi cried from Serena's arms. It had thought that was really interesting that it saw itself on the computer screen.

Serena smiled at her friends' compliments before turning to Ash. "What did you think, Ash?" she asked, seeing as he hadn't said anything yet.

Ash nodded as he walked forward and gave a hug to Serena. He then pulled away and stared her straight in the eyes.

"That was really great, Serena! I knew you could pull something like this off. I have no doubt that this video will really attract the attention of a lot people. I bet one of these days, you'll be famous!" he told her with a big grin.

Serena blushed. "You really think so?" she questioned.

"Definitely! Just you wait!" Ash replied.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added.

Serena looked away and laughed to herself. The blush was still on her face. That was a really nice thought what Ash told her. It would be really cool if her Pokevision video really did attract the attention of people. Ash was of course being kind when he said that, but he really seemed to believe that this was the poke she needed to help her decide what her true calling in life was. Well, time would tell. Still, to say that a celebrity would enjoy it was a huge stretch. The chances of one actually finding her video and watching it were slim indeed.

* * *

A girl with very distinct red hair was just now entering the private room of a hotel she was staying at. She was originally from the region of Kalos, but for right now, she was touring the world as she heard the Pokemon performances could be really great in other regions, too. She wanted see performances across the globe and was now currently in the Johto region. She would be leaving for her next destination in about a week.

She gave a huge stretch before plopping down on her bed to relax and bringing out her laptop computer. She then took off the glasses she used to disguise herself. When she wasn't doing performances, she had to always wear these glasses so people wouldn't recognize her. If they saw who she really was, they would probably go crazy. Well, at least here, she could relax. Such was the life when one was a famous Pokemon Performer. She loved her fans, but she loved her peace, too, sometimes.

That was what she was doing right now. She was enjoying her peace. One of her favorite things to do in her free time was to go to the Pokevision website and check out the Pokevision videos other people had made. It always excited her to see what other people's ambitions were in life and the type of bond they had with their Pokemon. When she watched these videos, it always let her remember that this was how her career started.

She was just an average girl from the region of Kalos with dreams to make it big one day. Then she decided to make a Pokevision video one day and posted it. She had worked hard on it, but despite this, she didn't really think anything would come of it. She was greatly surprised when a highly respected, retired performer and now judge named Palermo had called her up several weeks later. She had told the girl of her great potential and wanted to meet up with her. She gladly accepted, and her career as a Pokemon Performer has now skyrocketed because of it. Now, everyone in Kalos and even other regions like Johto knew her name: Aria.

The girl called Aria began to scroll through various Pokevision videos that seemed interesting to her. Some were better than others, but it didn't really matter. The girl was happy that these people had still taken the initiative to try to get their names out there, and they had won her respect because of it. The red-haired girl then came across a group of five videos that were posted the most recently. Shrugging to herself, she clicked on the videos.

After watching them, Aria was quite impressed. They were actually really good. Well, the boy called Ash's could've been better, and it had earned her a chuckle or two, but she was still glad he was trying. They were all excellent, but the one that stood out to her the most had been a video belonging to a honey blonde-haired girl by the name of Serena Gabena.

"Check that out," Aria said to herself as she finished the video. Now there was someone who was really wanting to get out there in the world.

Aria then looked at the video's region of production and saw it was filmed in the Orange Archipelago. The red-haired girl let out a slight giggle to herself. Ironically, the Orange Archipelago was actually where she was planning to go next while she was touring the world.

* * *

 **That wraps up this chapter. I think I did well at introducing Pokevision and Perfomances to this series, but that's up to you guys. The old Scyther will make a return later on in the arc so don't worry. The next one will be Ash's challenge with Danny, and it is the most different out of all of the Orange Gym battles. It will be my own take on a type of battle that is highlighted in some games. I'll see you guys on September 5 with the new chapter! Have a great one! Thanks for all the reviews and support! I know I say this a lot, but you guys are awesome!**

 **Chapter 9: Battle on a Mountain**

 **Answering the Questions:**

 _Will Ash and the gang ever use the Moon Stones they got at Mt. Moon?  
_

 **Yes. They will.**

 _When Ash begins to get more pokemon in future regions will old pokemon still appear often?_

 ** _They will be used in Pokemon League chapters at least._**

 _Will this series ever contain profanity?  
_

 ** _No. Profanity doesn't fit any of the characters in the Pokemon world. Even the bad guys would be OOC if they cussed IMO. Besides, profanity doesn't really add anything to a story anyway, and I'm not a fan of using it myself._**

 _Was the winner of the Orange League five years ago an OC?  
_

 ** _No. As stated before, this series will never have an OC introduced._**

 _Have you decided if/when Leaf will find a love interest of her own?_

 ** _Yes._**

 _Will you do more incidents where in Ash and Serena think in those terms?_

 ** _Do you mean where they notice each other's...development? If so, then yes. Late Johto and Hoenn will be a rush of hormones for them when they turn 13 during that time._**

 _Will Misty get a brand new Water Type Pokémon for her own team?_

 ** _She will still get Poliwag this arc, but it will be different than canon._**

 _Will Pokemon contests or an equivelant happen in this arc?_

 ** _Not with any of the main characters. This chapter is as close as it gets, but there may be another Pokemon Performance before the arc ends._**

 _Are there going to be any evolutions in this sequel for Ash and Serena?  
_

 ** _I already have an evolution for Serena in this arc for sure, and possibly another one. For Ash...I have one, but I don't know of a good way to execute it yet. I may delay it until Johto. One of Misty's Pokemon will evolve, and none of Tracey's will._**


	9. Battle on a Mountain

**A/N: Here is Ash's battle with Danny. It's the most different out of all the Orange League matches so I hope you enjoy it.**

 **I think I sneaked in some slight Furthershipping this chapter. Oops. Well, when you travel with the opposite gender, you do interact with them a little bit differently sometimes. There will probably be slight Advancedshiping and Pearlshipping, too, when May and Dawn come around. Regardless, this still is and always will be an Amourshipping story, and Ash will NEVER cheat on Serena! (and there will be no love triangles with Ash!)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 9: Battle on a Mountain

The group was riding on Lapras with a new purpose right now. That purpose was for Ash to win his second Orange League Badge. The next closest gym leader was said to reside on Navel Island which was in the far eastern part of the Orange Archipelago. However, just because it was the closest gym, it didn't mean that it took the group a short time to get there. The Orange Islands were huge, and it had already been a week since they had done their Pokevision videos. They didn't mind, though. It just meant they could see everything the Orange Islands had to offer.

Speaking of the Pokevision videos, the group found they had quite a few hits. They were rather surprised with the amount of views they had in such a short time. Some people had even left some comments on the videos which complimented on how good they were. Out of all of them, though, it was Serena who was receiving the most views. She honestly didn't think hers was any better than the others, but the viewers apparently thought differently.

"I can't believe I'm already at fifteen thousand views," Serena muttered as she checked the view count for her video on her Pokegear.

"There you go, Serena! I told you that a lot of people would see how great you are!" Ash smiled.

"Thank you, Ash," Serena replied with a blush.

"I bet you a celebrity has already seen your Pokevision. It won't be long now until you receive a call to make it big. You'll be world famous! You'll be known as Serena Gabena, Pokevision maker extraordinaire!" Leaf declared.

Serena giggled at Leaf's silly nickname for her. Her friends were actually more excited for the view count than she was. She just wanted to make Pokevision videos for fun. She never really thought about being world famous. She was just a girl who grew up in Pallet Town, but originally from Vaniville Town in the Kalos region. There wasn't anything more special about her than anyone else.

Well, there she goes, just thinking she wasn't special again. Serena knew that an attitude like that wouldn't get her anywhere. She's already conquered the Battle Chateau which was quite a feat in itself and was known across the Kanto region as one of the few who did. Who's to say that she couldn't become known by doing Pokevision videos? It was quite fun, and it probably wouldn't hurt to do some more to really get her name out there. Maybe Ash and Leaf were right. If she got enough views, there was a small chance that something good might happen.

"Hey, guys. We're getting pretty close to Navel Island," Tracey told them as he pointed out in the distance.

Ash, Leaf, and Serena turned their heads, and their eyes widened at the sight before them. They couldn't technically see an island yet, but they could see an extremely tall mountain. It seemed to rise above the clouds. A quick look in the guidebook proved that Navel Island was known for that mountain.

"I wonder what kind of badge this one has. I hope it's another pretty seashell," Misty commented as they drew nearer.

"It is. It's called the Sea Ruby badge because it has a red jewel in the center of it," Tracey confirmed as he looked in the guidebook again.

"I wanted to try to get some information on the Gym Leader before I got here. I know his name is Danny, and like Cissy, he does a special type of Pokemon battle here," Ash said.

"Did it say what it was like?" Serena asked.

"No. That part was supposed to remain a surprise. I guess the Orange Crew don't want their secrets known to everybody. I guess that keeps all of their challenges fresh since the trainers don't know what to expect," Ash shrugged.

"I remember one part about Danny's challenge," Tracey spoke up. "Like Cissy did with the race around the island, Danny has a special qualifying round, too. If a trainer doesn't pass it, they can't battle him."

"Wow. We haven't even met Danny, and he already seems tough," Misty said in surprise.

"Well, that just will make my victory against him all the better! Unlike Cissy, I'm ready for this battle! I'll win for sure!" Ash declared.

"Piiiika!" Pikachu added.

"You said it, Pikachu! It's been a while since I used you in battle. Ready to shake off the rustiness and help win me this badge?!" Ash asked it.

"Pikachu!" it cried with nod as it leaped for joy at the chance to battle again.

"Well, you definitely can't say they lack confidence," Leaf smiled.

"Woah. This mountain looks even bigger up close. I can't even see the top," Misty muttered as she squinted.

The rest of the group turned around and giggled nervously. Yeah. That was a really tall mountain. Gym leaders normally took full advantage of their surroundings. Cissy took advantage of all the nature in her gym, and the group had no doubt that mountain would have something do with the battle here.

Ash then took his eyes off the mountain for a moment before he saw someone else not far away from them. The person was in a sailboat and was heading in the same direction they were. Upon learning that they saw him, the man steered himself over to the group and sailed alongside Lapras. The man was quite tan and muscular with auburn hair. He then gave a friendly wave to the group.

"Hey, there! You guys heading to Naval Island?" he called out.

"Yeah. We are," Ash replied.

"So am I! In that case, I'll see you all there!" the man said as he pushed forward and began sailing ahead of the group to shoreline.

"Wow. He sure knows how to ride," Misty commented.

"Do you think he's challenging the gym just like you are, Ash?" Serena asked.

"I don't know, but either way, it looks like he's expecting us to talk with him when we get there," Ash shrugged.

"Laaaaaa!" Lapras cried.

"It's okay, Lapras. I'll let you have a nice rest when we get there. We know you've traveled a lot lately," Ash reassured as he patted its neck.

* * *

The young man was waiting for them once the group reached the shore. Upon getting off Lapras, Ash thanked it before returning it to his pokeball. The man then made his way over to the group and extended his hand for them to shake.

"Pleased to meet all of you! My name is Danny," he introduced.

"Ah, you're Danny. You wouldn't happen to be the gym leader of this island, would you?" Ash questioned.

"Hahahaha! I am! I guess it would be safe to assume you're a challenger in that case!" Danny stated.

"You bet! I'm Ash Ketchum, and I want to challenge you for a chance to get the Sea Ruby Badge!" Ash declared.

"Fair enough. Are all of the rest of your friends here to challenge me, also?" Danny asked as he looked over the rest of them.

"Oh no! We're just here to give him support and cheer him on! Anyway, I'm Misty!" Misty corrected.

"Misty. What a lovely name," Danny commented as she shook her hand.

"Oh! Heehee! What a kind thing to say!" Misty giggled.

"I'm Tracey! I'm a Pokemon Watcher!" Tracey said.

"Ah! A Pokemon Watcher. Glad to meet you!" Danny replied as he shook Tracey's hand before he looked over at Serena and Leaf. "And who are the rest of these young ladies?"

"I'm Serena!" Serena said.

"Serena. I bet you are just as sweet and serene as your name suggests," Danny replied as he shook her hand.

"Yeah. She is. I would know because I'm her boyfriend," Ash uttered in a low tone as he quickly scooted up to Serena and put his arm around her.

"Ash!" Serena whispered harshly.

Ash frowned. He didn't know exactly what came over him just now. He should know better than try to think Serena would fall for another guy just because he complimented her. There was no need to be so possessive of her. Besides, Danny is apparently way too old for Serena anyway. He looked at least twenty one, and Serena was only eleven. With that in mind, Danny was probably just being nice and talked like that often anyway.

"Heh. Sorry," Ash muttered as he rubbed the back of his head.

Danny didn't appear to catch the possessive tone of Ash's voice just a moment ago. Despite that, though, he still smiled. "It's okay!" he said before moving on to Leaf.

"I'm Leaf!" Leaf introduced in a bubbly tone.

"Leaf, are you? You are just as lovely as the autumn and spring leaves that I'm sure you're named after," Danny replied in a charming way.

"Um, I am?" Leaf asked, turning a little red at that.

"Definitely!" Danny nodded and gave a dazzling smile that seemed to glow.

Leaf blushed and turned away. She hadn't had a man like that ever compliment her before. Calem had when they first met, but he was a boy, and Gary never really was one to compliment anybody.

"Well, now that we are all introduced, what do say we head over to where the gym is? Follow me!" Danny suggested before turning around to head off.

"So does that mean you accept my challenge?" Ash asked as he and rest began walking after him.

"Hmm…not quite yet. I always require my challengers to pass a test of sorts before I challenge them," Danny replied.

"A test?" Ash echoed.

Ash then remembered it was the same way with Cissy, also. He had to race with her around a designated area of Mikan Island. He wasn't required to necessarily beat her, but he did at least have to keep up. The test itself was hard enough compared to what the gym battle was. It got the group wondering what kind of test Danny would require Ash to take. Would it be another race, also?

The group was able to now make out the features of the island as they walked. It was nowhere near as populated as some of the other islands they had been to so far. All that seemed to reside here was a tiny village with a few houses and a small general store. This didn't appear to be the sort of island that would have a lot of people on it anyway. It was too small, and most of it was comprised of the massive mountain. A hiker would love this place, though.

As they walked along, the group noticed Leaf was looking at Danny with a sort of dreamy look on her face. Being no stranger to that sort of look, they gave a nervous smile as it was clear that Leaf had quickly developed an interest in Danny. Serena leaned over and whispered to Leaf so they wouldn't be overheard by Danny.

"You know, Leaf. Danny talked like that to Misty and me, also. I wouldn't take what he said to heart," Serena told her.

"Yeah, but he is cute, right?" Leaf sighed.

"I suppose, but…," Serena started, but stopped when Leaf suddenly ran ahead so she was next to Danny.

"So Danny? It really looks like you're prepared with that backpack you have," she said, making conversation.

"Well, I can't prepare for everything, but I always try to prepare for what life has in store for me," Danny answered with a laugh.

"I know! I always try to keep what I'll need in my backpack also. I'm aiming to fill up the pokedex so I've traveled in all sorts of environments so far," Leaf told him

"So how many Pokemon have you seen far?" Danny asked her.

"I almost have the Kanto pokedex complete except for a few of the legendary Pokemon!" Leaf said proudly.

"Have you now? That's pretty impressive," Danny replied before flashing another dazzling smile at her.

"Despite that, I still make sure to support my friends when they need them," Leaf said before turning around to smile at Ash and Serena.

"Sounds like you guys are pretty close," Danny commented.

"Oh! We are! Serena, Ash, and I all grew up in Pallet Town!" Leaf answered.

Danny merely nodded his head as they went along. They continued in a little more small talk as they went to the where the gym was. The whole time, the rest of the group was watching with amused smiles on their faces. They wouldn't exactly call it a crush that Leaf had on Danny, but she was definitely interested in something about him, whether it be his maturity, his looks, or something else.

* * *

After about ten minutes, they finally arrived at a giant set of steel double doors embedded within a rock wall. The group craned their necks upward and saw the doors were almost twenty feet high. If anything, they looked more suited for a fortress than a Pokemon gym.

"Soooooo…how do we get in?" Ash asked slowly.

"Oh! That's no problem. I know a code for it," Danny answered as he made his way over to the side of the doors where a small device was. He pressed a few numbers on there before it beeped, and the doors began to open slowly, letting out a large groan as they did so.

"This gym sure is high on security," Serena commented to Danny.

"That's right. I only like battling select people so this keeps anybody out who tries to come and go as they please," Danny replied.

"Wow. You must be a really tough gym leader to be so selective," Leaf said.

"Hahahaha! Well, I'm just following the Orange League regulations!" Danny answered with a laugh.

Once the doors were fully open, the group could see there was a fairly large open area in front of them. There were a couple of fields off to the side and a cable car to their left. Of course, the most defining feature of the area was the huge mountain in front of them. It was the same one that took up most of the island. Despite this, what confused the group was there didn't appear to be a battling area of any kind here.

"Hey, Danny. This is your gym, right?" Ash wondered, voicing the others' thoughts.

"It sure is, but we don't battle here on the ground," Danny replied.

"Umm, does that mean the battle takes place on the mountain?" Serena guessed. That could be the only logical explanation considering the cable car.

"You got it!" Danny smiled.

"That sounds cool!" Ash exclaimed. "I've never battled on top of a mountain before!"

"Glad to hear it!" Danny said as he made his way over to the cliff side. "In that case, let's get climbing!"

"Uh, wait. Climbing?" Ash inquired.

"Yes. This is the test I have any challengers go through before they battle me. Any trainer has to scale the mountain to qualify," Danny answered as he pointed to a sign next to him.

The group shuffled their way over to the sign and bent down to read what was inscribed on it. Tracey was the one who read it aloud.

 _To all Pokemon trainers:_

 _Welcome to the Naval Island Pokemon Gym. To all challengers who wish to face the gym leader, they must first scale to the top of the mountain. Furthermore, they may not use assistance of any kind from their Pokemon or special equipment. Any trainer who violates this rule will receive an automatic disqualification and may not be permitted to battle. Any friend or companion of the trainer challenging the gym may use the cable car to reach the top._

"Wait! Ash can't even use his Pokemon?!" Serena exclaimed, suddenly feeling worried for him.

"That's right," Danny answered.

The group exchanged glances with each other. It looked like there wasn't much of choice. If Ash hoped to even challenge Danny, he had to do this. These Orange League gym leaders certainly didn't play around when it came to the challengers. The description of the Orange League said it wasn't for the average trainer, and that was clearly correct. Ash then narrowed his eyes and turned his hat backwards.

"If I'm going to be a Pokemon Master, I can't let this mountain stop me. I can do it!" he declared with determination.

"That's the spirit, Ash!" Danny nodded.

"Wait! I'm climbing the mountain, too!" Leaf suddenly jumped in, startling the rest.

"Huh?! You've got to be kidding, Leaf," Ash muttered. "Why would you want to climb a mountain?"

"It doesn't bother me!" Leaf exclaimed.

"Well, you're more than welcome to, but it is a little dangerous," Danny said in surprise.

"That's okay! I've climbed Diglett hills bigger than this! If I hope to get data on every type of Pokemon in existence, then I need to conquer any type of obstacle presented to me! It's the same with Ash's goal to be a Pokemon Master!" Leaf reminded.

The group stared strangely at her. They had a sneaking suspicion that what she said about helping her goal wasn't her only motivation for climbing the mountain. They also believed it was to impress a certain young man named Danny who happened to be the gym leader here. For her bubbly personality and cheerful nature, Leaf could be quite stubborn. If she made up her mind about climbing the mountain, there was little the group could do to change her mind.

"Why don't you come with us, Serena?!" Leaf suggested out of nowhere.

"Huh?! Oh! Heheheh! I'm okay!" Serena exclaimed. She wasn't trying to impress anyone or wanting to challenge the gym leader.

"Ash and I are already doing it. As a Pallet Town native, you should, too! Prove how tough you are!" Leaf stated.

"I don't like the sound of that, either," Ash cut in. "I'm already worried enough about you climbing this mountain. I don't want to put Serena in any danger."

Serena mentally rolled her eyes at Ash's words. It was really sweet of him to want to be protective of her like that. On the other hand, the way he said that seemed to imply that she was extremely fragile and couldn't handle a mountain. She didn't need to be treated like a porcelain doll her whole life. She would have to toughen up at some time and prove she could handle herself and not always rely on Ash. He wasn't the only one who could train at the Orange Islands.

"Thank you for your concern, Ash, but I think I would be okay if I climbed it. I probably would, too, if I didn't have to look after Togepi," Serena said to him.

Ash was able to catch the tone of her voice and put on a sheepish smile. "Heheheh. Right. Sorry, Serena."

"Well, I guess we're all good to go then?" Danny guessed.

"Yeah. We'll see you guys at the top!" Ash told Serena, Tracey, and Misty with a thumbs up.

With that, Ash, Leaf, and Danny made their over to the mountain while the others went to the cable car. As Ash stared up the mountain, he made a mental note to be extra careful. Unlike most mountains he's climbed in the past, this one didn't have an apparent trail that led up the first part. He would totally be roughing it.

"Pikachu?" the yellow rodent asked, seeing Ash's apprehension.

"It's nothing, Pikachu," Ash replied while shaking his head before turning to Danny. "Ready when you are."

"Alright. I'll go first," Danny nodded as he took grabbed hold of a jagged part of the mountain and began to climb.

Ash then nodded to Leaf. "Well, ladies first," he said, being the gentleman.

"Actually, Ash. Why don't you go before me? I'm wearing a dress right now. If you climb up after me, you'll be looking up and see…," Leaf trailed while turning red.

Ash blushed as well before chuckling to himself. Yeah. Leaf did have a point. He really didn't think of something like that. He didn't want to be perceived as some kind of pervert. Good thing Serena didn't hear or see that conversation.

"Chuuuuu," Pikachu sighed at Ash's denseness.

"Heheheh. Alright. I'll go first," Ash said as he turned around to find a good place to grab onto.

He then looked to the side and saw Tracey, Misty, and Serena in the cable car waving to them. Serena then stuck her head out of the car before shouting, "You and Leaf be careful, okay!? We'll see you at the top!"

"No problem!" Ash called back as he placed his foot on top of a rock that jutted out of the mountain…only for it to slip.

Ash let out a groan of pain as his behind hit the ground. Okay. This was going to be a little tougher than he thought. He looked up and saw Serena's worried expression before giving her a sheepish grin. He just assured her he would be fine and then hurt himself. Yeah. That was really going to ease her fears.

"Are you alright, Ash?" Leaf asked as she helped him to his feet.

"Yeah. I'm good," Ash replied as he dusted off his clothes before trying again.

Okay. He could do this. He just had to be extra careful. It wasn't like climbing this mountain was impossible because Danny appeared to be doing well. Ash watched as Danny made it to the first resting place before climbing on top and waiting for Ash and Leaf.

Ash then cautiously grabbed the rocks that seemed best for grabbing. He then looked around and found the ones for the best footing. He then placed his foot and grinned in excitement. He made it! He made his first climb.

"I can do this!" he yelled.

"Congratulations, Ash. You made it a couple of inches off the ground," Leaf deadpanned while Pikachu laughed from the side.

"Alright. Alright," Ash muttered as he started climbing higher with Leaf and Pikachu following him.

* * *

It turned out that scaling the mountain was tougher than it looked, and it looked tough to start with. Ash was panting as he struggled to find the best footing to keep climbing, and Leaf wasn't fairing too much better. Danny was already a considerable distance ahead of them, but he was still much within viewing distance to make sure to stay with them.

"This…is…hard," Leaf gasped.

"You didn't have to come, you know," Ash reminded.

"What kind of…explorer would I be if I didn't do this?" Leaf asked.

"Yeah. I'm sure that was you're only reason," Ash muttered.

Leaf glared at him but didn't argue. Ash was right and not being the dense one for a change.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu called from above on a resting spot.

"I'll be up there in a little bit, Pikachu!" Ash called back.

"You guys doing okay down there?!" Danny shouted downward.

"We're good! We've got this!" Ash yelled.

He then finally made it to the first rest area and gave a sigh of relief. Pikachu smiled at the feat and jumped into its trainer's arms for a quick break. Leaf made it up soon after and was panting heavily. She then scooted over next to Ash to relax for a second. For a moment, the two sat in silence until Leaf suddenly made a comment.

"You know, Ash. Climbing this mountain sort of reminds me of the adventures we would go on together when we were younger. It's been a while since it was just the two of us," she said.

"I know what you mean. Now that I think about it, it's almost nostalgic," Ash agreed.

"Yep!" Leaf agreed.

"So about your dream to fill up the pokedex? I've been meaning to ask you this for a while, but what do you actually plan to do when you fill up the pokedex? What then?" Ash wondered.

Leaf put her finger to her chin as she thought about it. That was a good question. "Well, I know when I collect data on all sorts of Pokemon, I could almost be like an encyclopedia myself. I could probably write my own handbook about Pokemon, or maybe write for Pokemon Pal or design for Pokemon Graph," she answered.

"Ah, so your real goal is to be a writer or editor," Ash smiled.

"Specializing in Pokemon," Leaf replied before asking Ash, "And what do you plan to do when you become a Pokemon Master?"

"Well, uh…a Pokemon Master's journey is never complete! I'll always be battling or training my Pokemon," Ash replied as he scratched Pikachu's ears.

"Well, aren't you just going to be busy for the rest your life?" Leaf joked.

"And you won't? I bet you could search the rest of your life and not find every Pokemon," Ash told her before adding with a thumbs up, "Then again, I bet you could do it. You definitely have the determination and skill to do it. My kind of person!"

"Don't say things like that, Ash, or I just might fall for you," Leaf said sarcastically before gently pushing Ash's face away.

It had been since before their journey when the two of them could joke like this. They weren't serious with each other, and they both knew it. They would never say things like this in front of Serena or the others, though, or else it would get really awkward. Still, it proved that even after all this time of not seeing each other a lot, Ash and Leaf still maintained their bond.

"Hey! You guys coming?" Danny called from a ledge high above them.

Ash and Leaf hastily stood to their feet as they began to climb the mountain again. The others were probably already waiting for them on top of the mountain. They couldn't dawdle for too long despite how tiring this task was. Besides, if they took too long, Ash wouldn't have enough time to battle Danny today.

After about another ten minutes of climbing, Ash was beginning to tire again. Pikachu was encouraging them to keep going to ledge that was only about six feet above him. All he had to do was go a little more, and he could rest for a little bit.

"Chu!" Pikachu called.

"Almost there, Pikachu," Ash muttered as it had reached for a rock that was unusually loose.

Leaf saw this from below Ash as her eyes widened in horror. "Ash! Don't grab that one!" she screamed.

Danny was alerted by Leaf's scream as he quickly turned around to see Ash had already lost his balance. The raven-haired boy let out a yell as he started falling. Leaf instinctively made a grab for him as he passed but missed due to the speed he was falling and partly to keep her own balance. Thankfully, there was a tiny ledge that jutted out where Ash was falling. Despite this, his back still hit the rock painfully and he let out a huge groan before bouncing again off the ledge. This time, however, he managed to grab onto a ledge to keep him from going down further.

Ash instantly made a grab for one of his pokeballs. "Charizard! Fly me up to where I was just a second a…."

"No, Ash! Don't!" Danny hollered

Ash immediately stopped himself just before he opened his pokeball. Danny was right. He couldn't use any Pokemon at all whatsoever. His back was in a lot of pain, but he wasn't falling to his death anymore. The second he opened his pokeball, he would be automatically disqualified. Ash gave a sigh as he put away Charizard's pokeball and slowly climbed up to the small ledge his back hit before giving a huge sigh of relief. That was way too close.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu said as it scurried down the mountain wall to check on Ash.

Leaf soon followed Pikachu as she worked her way down the mountain until she was next to Ash, too.

"Chuuu," Pikachu muttered as it licked Ash's arm.

"Ash, are you alright?" Leaf asked in concern as she knelt beside him.

"I..think so," Ash breathed heavily before grimacing at the pain his back was in.

"Let me take a look," Leaf said as she pulled the back of Ash's shirt up and gasped.

Ash's back was scraped up pretty badly and was bleeding. He really did hit his back hard.

"We need to get this treated," Leaf told him as she unzipped her backpack to take out some medical supplies."

"We can't," Ash reminded. "I can't receive help from anyone. If any wounds are treated on this test, I have to be the one to do it until we're at the top."

"But Ash, that could get infected," Leaf protested.

"It won't have time to if we hurry up and climb this mountain. I can get it treated once we reach the top. I'd do it now, but I can't reach back there," Ash replied.

The raven-haired boy then took another look up the mountain. There was still a whole lot of it left to climb. They would still be doing this for at least another couple of hours. The day still had plenty of light, and Danny was patiently waiting for them. Even so, they couldn't spend forever here. Ash couldn't be weak like this. He narrowed his eyes as he stared up at the mountain. He wasn't going to let this thing slow him down anymore!

"Ash?" Leaf asked as she watched him stand up to his feet.

"Let's do this, Leaf," Ash said firmly.

Leaf continued to stare worriedly at Ash until she too put on a look of resolve. "Alright. Let's do this," she agreed with a nod to Ash before standing up herself. The two then resumed their climbing while Pikachu ran ahead to keep an eye out for any more loose rocks to prevent the near disaster again.

Danny continued to watch from above with interest on his face. He had to admit, most trainers would probably have quit right there. Ash, however, was still determined to see this through. He was definitely a spirited Pokemon trainer to continue. Danny was extremely impressed. He believed without a doubt that Ash would complete this test now.

* * *

The trio of climbers had finally finished the climbing part of it. Their trial wasn't completely done, however. The temperature had dropped considerably, and a snowy climb was before them. Pikachu gave a small shiver at the cold.

"Hey, buddy. Why don't you get inside my jacket? Then we can both be warm," Ash suggested as he took out his jacket for the first time since taking it off on Valencia Island.

"Chuuu," Pikachu sighed in contentment as the warmness enveloped it.

"Need a blanket, Ash? I have an extra," Leaf said as she dug one for herself out of her backpack.

"No thanks. Pikachu and I will be fine," Ash replied. "This snowy mountain is nothing compared to the time Serena and I were lost in the blizzard."

"Yeah. I remember you two telling me that," Leaf replied before turning to Danny and seemingly put on an extra friendly tone. "How about you, Danny?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't need a blanket. I'm used to this cold since I climb up here so much! In fact, I enjoy this brisk weather!" Danny answered with laugh.

"Ohhhhh," Leaf muttered in disappointment before putting her own blanket in the backpack. "You know what? I don't need a blanket, either! This mountain air feels great!"

"Heh. Good luck," Ash smirked as he began to walk with Pikachu in his jacket.

Leaf was about to follow when a huge gust of wind came out of nowhere. It chilled Leaf to the bone, but the worst part was it caused her dress to fly upwards. Leaf gave a shriek as she hurriedly pulled the dress down before any of the boys could see. That was so embarrassing! Leaf was really beginning to wish she had changed into more suitable clothes before climbing this mountain. Some adventurer she was turning out to be! She hastily pulled out her blanket again before wrapping it around her bare legs so she could at least avoid that incident again. Geez!

"I'm not going to let a mountain beat me!" she shouted as she went to catch up with Ash and Danny.

"Well, we're almost there so just hang in a little longer," Danny told them before speaking to Ash specifically, "Then we can take care of your back."

"I honestly don't feel it anymore. I think the cold numbed it a little," Ash replied.

"That doesn't matter. It still needs to be cleaned," Leaf told him firmly.

"I know. I know," Ash muttered before letting out a sneeze from the cold. Man, climbing this mountain would make the reward of battling Danny all the better when he got to the top.

* * *

Serena sighed what seemed like the umpteenth time. She, Misty, and Tracey had been waiting for almost three hours now. There was some hot cocoa for them to have in the small lodge while they waited, and while it did keep them warm, it did nothing to ease Serena's worry. She seriously was wishing she had climbed the mountain with Ash and Leaf now. She knew those two were adventurous, but climbing a mountain was still new, well, almost if one didn't count the time they were lost in a snowstorm a while back.

"Toge! Toge!" Togepi cried cheerfully from Serena's arms, trying to cheer her up.

"Thanks for reassuring me, Togepi," Serena smiled as she hugged the baby Pokemon.

She didn't really know why she was worried so much. Ash and Leaf were made of tougher stuff than a mountain. Sure, Ash slipped and fell the first rock, but it was only because he was distracted, and who knows how many mountains Leaf has climbed to find more Pokemon.

"More hot cocoa?" Tracey offered from beside her as he held out a cup.

"Oh, no! I'm fine. I want to try to save some for Ash and Leaf, too, for when they get here," Serena declined politely. That was when she heard it.

"Heeeeeeey!" a voice rang out in the distance. It sounded a lot like Ash!

"Oh! That's them!" Serena said in excitement as she, Tracey, and Misty raced to where the trail ended and looked down.

The three let out a big grin as they saw Danny just a stone's throw away with Ash and Leaf following behind. The climbing trio continued to trudge up the mountain until at last they reached the top where the others were waiting for them.

As soon as they made it up, Ash set down Pikachu and was immediately met with a big hug from Serena. This unfortunately made him yell in pain, suddenly being reminded of his back due to the pressure just put on it.

"Ash?" Serena questioned in confusion.

"He had an accident on the way up the mountain," Leaf replied instead.

Upon seeing Serena's concerned gaze, Ash grinned sheepishly. He then reached behind him and pulled the back of his shirt up, exposing the nasty wound. Serena's eyes widened as it looked quite bad.

"What happened?!" Serena exclaimed.

"Well, I almost took a tumble down the mountain," Ash answered nervously.

He was expecting Serena to fly into fit of hysterical tears that he was in danger. Then he would be the one comforting Serena rather than the other way around. He really hated upsetting her like this. That was when he was surprised when she didn't react that way.

"Well, I'm just glad you're okay. Let's go ahead and treat it," Serena said sincerely as she gently grabbed Ash's hand and led him over to the lodge patio where she could clean it.

It almost relieved Ash a little. Serena was still worried about him, but it wasn't the hysterical kind like normal. She was being so sweet about it. Now that she knew he was okay, everything was fine. Maybe Serena was maturing ever so slightly, too, just like he was.

"By the way, Ash, congratulations! That was quite the test, and you passed!" Danny called after him.

"Heh! What did I tell you?! No mountain was going to beat me!" Ash grinned back.

"What about me, Danny?" Leaf asked sweetly as she sidled up next to him.

"Hah! I couldn't forget you, Leaf! You climbed the mountain and didn't even have to! You're pretty tough, just like my little sister!" Danny nodded in approval.

"Your…little sister?" Leaf questioned slowly as her image slowly crumbled.

"Sure! She's about your age and really has a knack for adventuring! You two are a lot alike!" Danny continued before going to help check on Ash.

Leaf let out a huge groan before hanging her head. She had climbed that darned mountain for nothing! She went through heck to try to impress this guy but only to be compared to his little sister! That was so far from where she wanted to be. Tracey and Misty let out nervous chuckles that Leaf's plan failed while Ash and Serena looked like they almost wanted to laugh. She was not feeling at her best right now.

"Hey, Leaf. Why are you wearing your blanket like that? It looks like a skirt," Misty wondered, suddenly noticing the odd way she had it wrapped around her.

Leaf sighed again and didn't answer. That added insult to injury.

* * *

"So Ash? Are you ready to start our battle?" Danny asked with his arms folded.

Ash gave a nod in response. Something told him this wasn't just going to be his everyday battle. The fact that they were already on a mountain proved that. Serena had bandaged up his back, and he now had on a jacket to protect himself from the cold of the mountain. The others also looked on in interest also bundled up in warmer clothes. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago they were all sweating from the hot, humid air of the island. The only one not in warmer clothes was Danny.

"Have you ever heard of a rotation battle?" Danny inquired of him next.

Ash tilted his head in interest. "Rotation battle?" he echoed.

"That's right!" Danny affirmed with a nod. "We use three Pokemon each. It's sort of like a battle with three Pokemon against three, but the thing is only one Pokemon from each side can attack at a time."

"So it's sort of like a tag-team battle between the Pokemon?" Ash figured.

"You got it!" Danny nodded. "I think this a great way to build teamwork between your Pokemon. There is no way one can take on three others. They will need to be swapped in order to take a quick rest."

"So how do you win?" Serena asked this time.

"One wins when all the Pokemon on one side have been defeated. Even if one of us have at least one Pokemon left standing, we win," Danny answered.

"I've got it. Teamwork," Ash muttered. This was definitely an important thing. He and his Pokemon would need to work together. Ash would need to know when to let one Pokemon rest so another could take its place. It was different from a regular battle in which it was much more fast-paced with the switching. A Pokemon could tag in a partner at the blink of an eye.

"This sounds like fun, Ash. I bet you and your Pokemon could learn a lot from this. Mikan Island focused on the trust between Pokemon and their trainers. This island seems to test the trust between your Pokemon," Tracey told him.

"I like that sound of it," Ash said as he let out a smile. "We can do this!"

"Pika!" Pikachu added. It had gone back to the warmth of Ash's jacket.

"Great attitude! We'll have our battle right here on the mountain!" Danny approved as he motioned to the area around him.

"This whole area is the battle field?!" Misty exclaimed.

"That's right! Just try not to destroy the lodges. A trainer from five years ago did that accidentally. That battle was really intense!" Danny laughed.

The group exchanged glances at that. Was this the same trainer they kept hearing about? He's apparently left quite a legacy in the Orange Islands, both good and bad. Regardless, he was quite skilled if Danny still remembered him.

"A Pokemon tag-battle on a mountain peak. This is going to be good!" Leaf said excitedly, recovering first.

Ash's smile dropped just a little bit at that. He almost forgot Danny had said they would be battling on top of the mountain. His Pokemon had never battled in an environment like this before. Snow was lightly drifting from the sky which already made it harder. Danny's Pokemon were probably used to the cold so that already put Ash at a disadvantage. He couldn't necessarily just use strong Pokemon. He would need to use a Pokemon that could resist the cold the most.

"I'll go ahead and choose my Pokemon first!" Danny said. "Go Nidoqueen, Machamp, and Electrode!"

The three Pokemon appeared from their pokeballs with a cry. Danny and his Pokemon then formed a huddle before putting their hands in and nodding to each other as a symbol of their preparedness for teamwork. They then stood side-by-side as they awaited which Pokemon Ash would choose.

Ash went through the options in his head. The six Pokemon he had with him right now were Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Primeape, Lapras, and Muk. This cold weather and snow automatically ruled out Bulbasaur despite its great sense of reason which would be helpful in this battle. Lapras could probably resist the cold, but it was also slow and would be rather unfit in something fast-paced like a rotation battle. Muk was strong, but the snow on the ground and low temperature may freeze the sludge on its body. Not a good thing. That left Charizard, Pikachu, and Primeape, which Ash realized were good choices. Charizard was very strong, and the heat of its tail would keep it warm. Primeape was extra nimble and wouldn't let the cold ruin its fighting spirit. Lastly, Pikachu…just had warmed up in Ash's jacket. He would just need to make sure his rodent friend had frequent bursts of electricity to keep its body temperature up.

"Alright! You're up, Pikachu!" Ash told it from his jacket.

Pikachu nodded before leaping from the comfort and warmth of its trainer's jacket to land on the battlefield. It then quickly charged itself up with electricity to warm its body.

"Go Charizard and Primeape!" Ash yelled next.

Ash's other choices appeared before immediately running to the battlefield with Pikachu. They hadn't had a real battle in a while and were eager to do so again. Unfortunately, that also meant that Charizard and Primeape each wanted to be the first ones to battle. The two glared at each other before beginning to yell.

"Come on, guys! Don't fight! We'll need to work together on this! I promise you'll each get a turn!" Ash tried to reason.

The group grimaced as they watched Primeape and Charizard argue. They were among some of the strongest, yet most competitive Pokemon, on Ash's team right now. Their willingness to battle would normally be a good thing…except in a situation like this.

"Everything okay with your Pokemon, Ash?" Danny asked as he and his Pokemon watched with slight confusion.

"Yeah! We've got it!" Ash cried nervously before going back to his Pokemon. "Come on, guys! How about we just flip a coin to see which of you goes first?"

Charizard and Primeape didn't listen, however. Ash's words had fallen on deaf ears. They were each trading verbal blows with the other about how they deserved first and that the other was just being stupid or too weak to first. That, of course, only fired them up more. Ash knew that he had to think of solution soon. Not only was this making him look bad, but Charizard and Primeape may even start attacking each other, which REALLY wouldn't be a good thing.

Pikachu came to the rescue, however. It calmly walked past the arguing Pokemon and stood in the middle between Danny and Ash. It gave smirk at Primeape and Charizard as they saw that the sneaky rat strode right past them unnoticed. The two Pokemon narrowed their eyes and looked absolutely ticked.

"Pika Pikachu!" it grinned in a cheesy manner at them.

"Well, I guess that settles it. Pikachu goes first," Ash told Charizard and Primeape.

The two Pokemon glared at Pikachu one last time before giving a huff and shuffling off the battle field. They then stood a short distance in front of Ash and crossed their arms. Well, at least their rival didn't get to go first. They would definitely ready to battle when their time comes.

Serena gave a huge sigh of relief. That was almost a disaster. It almost reminded her of when her Scyther was confrontational not too long ago. Ash wasn't out of the woods yet, though. If Charizard and Primeape couldn't get along, Ash wouldn't be able to win this.

"So are you ready now, Ash?" Danny called from across the battlefield, apparently deciding to oversee that little mishap. He could already tell Ash was a great trainer who cared for his Pokemon.

"Yeah! I'm good!" Ash responded, regaining his composure.

"In that case, I'll send out Nidoqueen first," Danny said as the fully evolved form of a female Nidoran stepped forth.

Pikachu gave another small spark to itself to warm up while Nidoqueen didn't look bothered at all by the cold. They stared each other down as each trainer's other Pokemon stared at the other from across the field, each awaiting their turn for battle.

"We'll start on the next gust of wind," Danny told Ash.

Ash nodded his head as he waited. Each Pokemon also nodded, agreeing to the signal. The second the wind picked up on this snowy mountain, the rotation battle would begin. Pikachu and Nidoqueen crouched down as it waited. Ash's friend's awaited for the incoming battle, too, each one eager to see how a battle like this would play out. Finally, the wind picked up ever so slightly for just a second before a strong gust of air rushed through the area. It chilled everyone, but that didn't matter. The battle had now begun.

"Nidoqueen, use Earth Power!" Danny called out.

Nidoqueen gave a powerful roar before slamming its fists into the ground creating a shockwave. An explosion of snow flew in front of Pikachu, completely blanketing it and causing it to shiver from the cold. With its vision impaired, Pikachu squinted its eyes to try to find its opponent.

"Behind you, Pikachu!" Ash yelled.

Pikachu didn't need to be told twice. Knowing by now to act on Ash's voice immediately, it darted out of the way as Nidoqueen Body Slammed the snow where Pikachu once was. The rodent then leaped out of the snow flurry and breathed a sigh of relief. It was short-lived, however.

"Swap out with Electrode, Nidoqueen!" Danny yelled

 _"He's swapping already?"_ Ash thought.

Pikachu as unable to see when the switch actually happened because of the blanket of snow on Danny's side. All it knew was a massive spinning ball came out of nowhere at an extremely fast pace and slammed into it for a high-powered Tackle.

Pikachu was sent soaring and landed in the snow a short distance away from the Primeape and Charizard. The snow was able to cushion its landing a little bit, but the attack itself still hurt. It quickly jumped to its feet, though. If Danny could switch out his Pokemon that fast in rotation, it and Ash would need to be on high alert at all times.

"Now Swift, Electrode!" Danny called out.

Electrode immediately summoned many star-shaped beams of energy and shot them at Pikachu. The yellow rodent was struck by the energy causing it to grimace in pain. It barely had time to catch its breath before Electrode crashed into it once again, sending it flying like before.

Ash frowned at how this battle was going so far. Danny was using the terrain and his Pokemons' strengths flawlessly. It really showed how these guys were a cut above your average gym leader. If Ash wanted to win, he would need to use his noggin. Now come on, he's never faced an Electrode before, but Serena has. What did she do to win against it?

He gave a glance over to her and saw her looking back at him as if trying to tell him something. Ash wracked his brain as he thought back to that time a while back. Serena still was having a difficult time getting her Eevee to battle so she had to play to its strengths to have fun. What did she have it do? Ride Electrode.

"Come on, Ash! You haven't attacked yet!" Misty yelled from the side.

She was soon silenced by Serena holding up her hand. Misty then saw there was some sort of silent communication going on between the two. They weren't using their aura or psychic powers, but there was still something going on.

"Right," Ash finally nodded in understanding as he turned back to Pikachu, who in response gave a nod of its own to Ash.

"Use Spark this time, Electrode!" Danny hollered.

Electrode once more began to charge towards Pikachu. Only this time, it was covered in electricity. Ash and Pikachu both gasped at this. If Electrode had continuous bolts of electricity around it, that would mean Pikachu couldn't ride it!

"Don't think I didn't know what you were planning, Ash," Danny said with a triumphant smile. "I've faced many people before who've tried to ride Electrode. Your 'Pikachu on a ball' trick won't work here!"

Ash grimaced at that. Danny wasn't going to fall for that, was he? There wasn't too much more that Pikachu could do at the moment. Wait. That's what the tag battle is for. It could rest for a moment while he thought of a strategy for it and send out another Pokemon to fight in the meantime. Despite this type of match having disadvantages against him, some things worked in his favor. It was up to him to figure out how to utilize them properly. He had to act quickly, though, since Electrode was almost upon Pikachu.

"Alright! Come back, Pikachu! Go, Charizard, and use Fire Punch!" Ash hollered.

Charizard didn't waste any time as it immediately shot forward and charged up a fist of fire. Pikachu back flipped into the air to get back to where Primeape was on standby as Charizard flew underneath it. The fire lizard then slammed a fiery uppercut into Electrode before it could stop. There was a tremendous flash of energy from the power behind the attacks. Charizard won out, however, and Electrode was instead sent shooting through the snow in the opposite direction, well past where Danny and his other Pokemon were.

"Nice one, Charizard!" Ash called out as Pikachu landed next to him.

"That was close. I'm glad Ash recalled Pikachu when he did," Misty sighed with relief.

"Ash will really have to switch out between his Pokemon regularly like Danny does. He'll have to use situations and the environment to his advantage," Tracey agreed.

"You may not know this Tracey, but we've seen Ash battle enough to know that he always can come up with some great strategies in the blink of an eye. He's a natural at battling," Leaf told him.

"Oh! I have no doubt he's great if he made it into the Top Four! I was just making an observation!" Tracey responded.

"It's almost like Brock did," Misty mumbled as she fondly remembered the dark-skinned teen for a moment.

Serena wasn't fully paying attention to the others' small conversation at the moment. She was almost as engrossed in the battle as Ash was. This was his first real Pokemon battle since the Indigo League. He swore to start training harder and studying up on his opponents from now on. This battle was crucial to see if he was serious about it. He already knew the name of the gym leader here so he wasn't caught off guard like one would expect when they met Danny. That was a start.

"While Electrode is still recovering, I'll swap for Nidoqueen again!" Danny yelled as the drill Pokemon stepped forth and gave a roar. "Now use Earth Power!"

"Fly up and avoid that wall of snow!" Ash yelled.

Charizard gave another roar and took skyward as a flurry of snow rushed underneath it. It then stared down at the Nidoqueen which stared back.

"Great! Now use Flamethrower on the snow to melt it!" Ash hollered.

"Not so fast! Use Ice Beam, Nidoqueen!" Danny countered.

Charizard blew forth a stream of fire while Nidoqueen shot a beam of ice from its horn. The two attacks collided and began competing for dominance. One would think Charizard would win easily, but Danny really had Nidoqueen trained. Finally, it began to looked like Charizard was starting to win, but Danny didn't stop there.

"Use Earth Power again, Nidoqueen!" Danny yelled.

Ash's and Charizard's eyes widened in surprise as Nidoqueen slammed the ground and sent up a wall of snow upwards at Charizard while still using Ice Beam. Ash grimaced at the thought that Nidoqueen could use two attacks at once. Ash remembered all too well that was the cause of his downfall at the Pokemon League when he lost against Paul. Charizard only had two options. Get hit by the blanket of snow or the Ice Beam.

"Try Inferno to melt the snow that's coming to you!" Ash called.

Charizard grimaced as it tried to do both attacks at once. An orange glow appeared around its body to signify the attack was activated, but unfortunately, it significantly weakened the power of Flamethrower. Nidoqueen's Ice Beam easily pushed through the flames and struck Charizard right in the center of its stomach, causing it to roar in pain.

Ash gritted his teeth at trying to push Charizard to do two attacks. What other choice did he have, though? It still ended up in disaster, regardless.

"Great job, Nidoqueen! Now let's get Machamp on the field!" Danny called.

Nidoqueen began to dig underground to combat its slow moving body to get off the battle ground as quickly as possible. Its super powered partner then came forth.

"Now use Strength!" Danny hollered.

Machamp quickly dug in the snow before picking up a humongous boulder from seemingly nowhere and hurled it at Charizard.

"Break that boulder with Fire Punch!" Ash yelled.

Charizard reeled back its fist and slammed it into the boulder, completely shattering it.

"Not bad," Danny complimented.

"Thanks!" Ash replied before yelling, "Fly at Machamp, and use Flamethower!"

"Block it, Machamp!" Danny called.

Machamp brought up its four powerful arms and braced itself for the incoming Flamethrower. The flames soon crashed into it, and it gritted its teeth at the searing pain in its arms. Still, this was better than having its entire body roasted. Machamp then looked up and saw Charizard was already upon it. The fire dragon spread out its wings and knocked Machamp to the ground with Wing Attack.

"Great, Charizard! Now let's swap out for Primeape, and use Mega Punch upon entering!" Ash said, addressing the last part to Primeape. He figured it was time to go with someone fresh now.

Charizard gave as slight huff but nodded nevertheless. It then began to fly back towards Ash while Primeape rushed forth, already swinging its right arm to charge up Mega Punch. The pig monkey Pokemon leaped forward to punch Machamp square in the face, but it lifted one its arms to block it.

"Use a quadruple Mega Punch!" Danny said.

Primeape looked glanced on either side of it and saw four powerful fists coming to it. It quickly broke off its Mega Punch and dropped to the ground to avoid being pummeled. Unfortunately, one of Machamp's arms followed it downward and smacked it, sending it straight into the snow, leaving an imprint.

"Use Dig!" Ash yelled, taking advantage of Primeape already being in the snow.

Machamp began looking around to see if there were any disruptions in the snow to locate Primeape. It could see many patches of snow that were being thrown upwards, signaling Primeape was coming straight for it.

"Find and hit Primeape with your Brick Break!" Danny called.

Machamp reached down with two of its arms and slammed them into the snow where it saw a disruption. To its great surprise, it found that it had missed! It then turned to its right and saw a trail going away from it. Primeape must have dodged the attack and changed directions at the last second.

"Good job, Primeape! Keep digging away!" Ash smiled.

Machamp continued to stab at the snow while trying to find Primeape, but it was missing every time. Eventually, Primeape was able to get behind Machamp, and that was what Ash wanted.

"Come up, and Use Cross Chop!" Ash hollered.

Primeape shot up from the snow with its arms already in a crossed position. It then moved forward to deliver the Cross Chop. Machamp was too slow to turn around, and the attack smashed into its backside, causing it to cry in pain and fall face forward in the snow.

"Great job! Now come back Primeape!" Ash yelled before turning to Pikachu. "You're up again, buddy!"

Pikachu nodded and rushed forward through the snow at the Machamp who was slowly picking itself up from the ground.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Ash hollered.

Pikachu unleashed a high dose of electricity from its cheeks like Red had taught it a while back for extra power. It knew Machamp wasn't going anywhere quickly so it felt free to do so. Machamp cried out in pain again as the electricity consumed its body as it tried to stand up. The shock was too great, though, and Machamp fell back onto one knee.

"Now use Agility, and then Iron Tail!" Ash shouted.

"Use Cross Chop!" Danny ordered.

Pikachu began increasing its speed to near blinding levels as it shot through the snow at Machamp. It leaped into the air at the super powered Pokemon and began charging up its tail. Machamp then began to bring forward all four of its arms towards Pikachu. What made matters worse is that there was only a small opening to get past Machamp's four arms, and it was shrinking as the arms got closer.

Pikachu grimaced and positioned its body as best as it could to make it past the four arms. If it got hit by a Mega Punch from Machamp, it would be knocked to the moon because of its light size. The four arms got closer and closer. Pikachu almost felt like closing its eyes. Then, at the last second, it squeezed through the tiny opening, and Machamp's fists just missed it. Pikachu actually felt the air rush around it from the attack. It then continued forward and slammed an Iron Tail right into Machamp's face.

The super power Pokemon cried out and fell back into the snow once more, and Ash needed to finish this while he had the chance.

"Use Wild Charge!" Ash called.

Pikachu's body then became enveloped in electricity as it leaped into the air and descended upon Machamp. The fighting Pokemon recovered a little too late. Pikachu's electricity filled body crashed right into Machamp's stomach, actually pushing it a few feet into the snow. Pikachu then leaped backwards to see the damage it had done. Everyone waited for a moment to see if Machamp would get back up. Nothing happened, though, signaling Machamp was beaten.

"I don't believe it! You beat Machamp!" Danny exclaimed in surprise.

"Alright! Awesome, Pikachu!" Ash cheered.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu smiled back before giving a thumbs up at Charizard and Primeape who helped it out. The two other Pokemon rolled their eyes but returned the gesture regardless.

"Great job, Ash! You got one of his Pokemon!" Leaf called out.

Serena breathed a sigh of relief. Ash was able to use the snow to his advantage with Primeape which left a great opening for Pikachu while Machamp was stunned. He still hadn't lost his touch.

Danny returned Machamp to his pokeball and smiled at it. "Thanks, Machamp. Take a nice rest."

He then nodded to his Electrode. It had long since rolled back from being knocked clear across the battling area and was now ready for more. Ash, likewise, decided to bring out his Charizard. He was starting to get used to the constant rotation of his Pokemon in a match like this. It was a lot more fast-paced than your average gym battle.

Pikachu ran back to Ash while Charizard rushed forth. Both trainers didn't waste any time in calling out their attacks.

"Use Swift, Electrode!" Danny called.

"Use Flamethower!" Ash yelled.

Electrode shot the small star bits of energy at Charizard before rolling out of the way. It then began rolling fast and turned it into a Rollout attack, acquiring quite a bit of snow on itself. Ash frowned as he realized that Electrode was forming a shield around itself with the snow to protect it from attacks.

"Try to break through that shield of snow with your Flamethrower!" Ash hollered.

Charizard blew forth the flames which met its mark and struck the massive rolling snowball directly in the center. However, this was short-lived as Electrode only moved faster which allowed it to retrieve what snow had been melted by the Flamethower.

"Now use Charge Beam!" Danny yelled.

A beam of electricity burst out of the quickly moving snowball straight at Charizard, taking it by surprise. The opening caused by the Charge Beam was quickly replaced with more snow due to the rolling. The beam struck Charizard which caused it roar in pain.

Ash knew he wasn't going to get anywhere trying to melt the snowball away now. Electrode could pick it up again just as fast. The only way to get an opening would be if all of the snow came off at once. Primeape's Brick Break should be able to do that, but the problem was how quickly Electrode was moving. Despite how strong it was, Primeape may not get the opening it needs to land a solid attack. Ash had to stop Electrode, but how? He needed to use the snow against it.

"Now use Thunderbolt!" Danny yelled.

"Dodge it, and use Fire Spin all around Electrode!" Ash hollered.

A stream of electricity flew from the giant snowball, but Charizard soared out of the way and shot forth a vortex of fire from its mouth. It was making sure not to hit Electrode, though. That wasn't its target. Charizard knew what Ash was thinking, and it liked the idea. Charizard was creating a ring of fire around the snowy area where Electrode was rolling around. The snow hit by the flames was instantly melting, creating massive pits. It wasn't long before Danny gasped as Electrode accidentally rolled into one of the many pits and got stuck.

"Great job, Charizard. It's your turn Primeape! Use Brick Break!" Ash yelled.

Primeape dashed forward as Charizard flew back. It then leaped into the pit that Electrode had fallen into and smashed its fist down on top of it. The snow shield exploded around Electrode, leaving it quite vulnerable, but it wasn't out of tricks yet.

"Use Screech!" Danny yelled.

An earsplitting yell came out of Electrode. Primeape grimaced and covered its ears to block out the horrible sound.

"Electo Ball!" Danny hollered.

An electric orb shot out of Electrode and struck Primeape, who was unable to dodge because it was still reeling from the Screech. The pig monkey Pokemon was once again knocked into the snow. With that out of the way, Electrode began rolling again to get out of the pit it fell in to start acquiring a snow shield again.

"Use Cross Chop Primeape!" Ash yelled.

To everyone's surprise, Primeape shot out of the snow right in front of Electrode and delivered a solid chop to, sending the ball Pokemon in a daze. Ash smiled at his Primeape's fighting spirit. Even though it took a few attacks directly, it was still able to recover from the attack instantly. A handy skill like that was greatly helpful.

Danny was about to call back Electrode, but Ash wouldn't give him the chance.

"Use Close Combat!" Ash yelled before Danny could get the words out of his mouth.

Primeape immediately came upon Electrode and began a series of attacks that were almost a blur. One moment it was on top of Electode, and the next moment it was at the side. It was almost comical with how much of a beating Primeape was putting upon Electrode. The ball Pokemon was unable to do anything but take the attacks.

Another flurry of attacks later, Primeape leaped back to prepare for another attack, but it found it no longer needed to. Electrode was knocked out.

"Oh, Electrode," Danny mumbled sadly.

"That's awesome! Ash got two Pokemon!" Leaf cheered.

Tracey was busy trying to draw a sketch of Primeape using its Close Combat. He was unable to draw it as it was happening because the attack was so quick. He was having to use his memory and focus on the positions Primeape was in when it used the attacks.

Danny soon returned Electrode before thanking it. He then sent a small smile in Ash's direction. "Well, Ash. It isn't too often that trainers are able to beat two of my Pokemon. However, you still have my Nidoqueen to face, and it's still at full health while all of your Pokemon have taken quite a bit of damage."

"No problem! We can handle it! Right, Primeape?" Ash asked, until he noticed something.

Primeape was down on one knee and grunting in pain. It had bits of static that occasionally jolted from it. It was then Ash gasped when he realized Primeape had become paralyzed. Electrode's Static ability must have kicked in from all the physical attacks that Primeape was doing to it.

"Oh, poor Primeape," Misty moaned from the side.

"Let's go, Nidoqueen!" Danny called as the drill Pokemon charged onto the battlefield once more.

"Come back, Primeape, and go Pikachu!" Ash yelled. He was glad he was able to say something before Danny could order an attack.

Primeape fought against its paralysis with all it had as it began to slowly jog off the battlefield. Pikachu ran past it and gave it a nod, to which the pig monkey Pokemon managed to return. Once it reached Ash, it sighed and sat down, waiting for the paralysis to wear off. Primeape then felt a small pat on the shoulder. It looked up to its side and saw Charizard giving a small smile at it. Despite not having a mouth, it was clear that Primeape smiled back.

"Oh, good. It looks like they're managing to get along now," Misty said with a sigh of relief.

"Yeah. They are starting to work as a team and realize they can't defeat all of Danny's Pokemon in this type of match unless they switch," Serena agreed.

"Alright, Pikachu! Quick attack!" Ash yelled.

The yellow rodent took off through the snow towards Nidoqueen, but all did was smirk.

"You know what to do, Nidoqueen!" Danny told it.

Nidoqueen once more slammed the snow in front of it for an Earth Power. The snow erupted around it as usual as it hid itself to attack its opponent easier, but Ash and Pikachu both saw this coming.

It turns out Pikachu had already leaped into the air before Nidoqueen did the attack. It was able to leap over the wall of snow that that flew up before it got too high and slammed into Nidoqueen, causing it to stumble backwards. It didn't do too much damage, but at least Ash had a small opening now.

"Use Poison Sting!" Danny yelled.

"Dodge with Agility!" Ash countered.

Nidoqueen pointed its horn downward and began shooting a continuous blurry of glowing needles at Pikachu. The yellow rodent sped out of the way as Nidoqueen chased it with the attack around the battlefield. Of course, Pikachu was too fast.

 _"Hmm, maybe I could trip up Nidoqueen which might give me an opening,"_ Ash thought before calling out. "Use Iron Tail on Nidoqueen's legs!"

Pikachu immediately changed its course and began running towards Nidoqueen. It ran erractically so it could avoid being hit by Nidoqueen's Poison Sting.

"Not so fast! Use Double Kick, Nidoqueen!" Danny yelled.

As Pikachu approached Nidoqueen, it began to charge its tail. It saw what Nidoqueen was about to do and smirked. It then turned back to Ash who nodded his head. Knowing what Ash was wanting it to do, Pikachu instead used Iron Tail on the snow. A cloud of snow erupted around Pikachu this time, effectively giving Nidoqueen a taste of its own medicine.

Pikachu then charged up another Iron Tail and leaped through the cloud of snow in preparation to attack Pikachu. To its surprise, Nidoking was already waiting for it with a charged kick heading for it. Wasn't Nidoqueen fazed by that at all? Pikachu narrowly avoided the big foot coming for its face and slammed its Iron Tail into Nidoqueen's legs. Unfortunately, the Double Kick wasn't finished yet. Nidoqueen brought the other charged leg up which crashed into Pikachu before tripping into the snow.

Pikachu then landed in the snow before shaking itself from the mighty kick. It then saw Nidoqueen attempting to get up and frowned. There weren't any long ranged attacks it could take advantage of because electric attacks won't work on Nidoqueen.

"Come back, Pikachu! I'm sending out Charizard now!" Ash yelled.

Pikachu nodded and dashed back while Charizard came forth. It really wanted a piece of this Nidoqueen for making it look like a fool earlier with its double attacking. It didn't get any good openings, though, as Nidoqueen was already back on its feet from being tripped.

"Ice Beam!" Danny yelled.

"Use your Flamethrower like last time, Charizard, but keep flying towards Nidoqueen!" Ash said.

As Nidoqueen shot out the steam of ice, Charizard launch its flames. Both attacks met midway and began competing again like last time. Unlike last time, however, Charizard continued to push itself forward to Nidoqueen. The force was causing Nidoqueen to stumble backwards a bit, but it still held tough.

"Use Earth Power!" Danny yelled.

"Not this time! Change your Flamethrower into a Fire Spin!" Ash hollered.

The stream of fire soon turned into a flaming spiral. It was able to cover a much larger area then the Flamethrower was. Despite not being able to use two attacks, it was the best solution for handling a situation like this. It was able to melt most of the snow wall that was shooting towards Charizard from the Earth Power, but it was still hit. Despite that, Charizard pressed on.

"Now break it off, Charizard!" Ash yelled once Charizard was close enough.

Charizard made a sharp turn upward and halted the attack. The Ice Beam continued underneath it for a brief moment. The sudden change of force that Nidoqueen was battling against made it stumble backwards once more before it too halted the attack.

"Dragon Claw!" Ash yelled.

"Now use Poison Sting to slow it down!" Danny hollered.

Nidoqueen once more shot the glowing needles at Charizard. The fire dragon grimaced at the stinging pain but pushed through regardless. Its claws then glowed, and it made a slashing motion upwards, knocking Nidoqueen off its feet and into the snow.

"Now fly to grab Nidoqueen!" Ash hollered.

Charizard flew forward to grab Nidoqueen, but it wasn't done yet.

"Ice Beam again," Danny commanded.

"Quick, Flamethrower!" Ash cried out in surprise.

Just before it could grab Nidoqueen, both Pokemon shot out their attacks, though Charizard did so a little more clumsily. Both attacks met at point blank range, causing each Pokemon to gasp. Nidoqueen was grimacing from the heat of Flamethrower while Charizard was grimacing from the coldness of Ice Beam.

"Use Mega Punch!" Danny called.

"Use Fire Punch!" Ash countered.

Both Pokemon charged up their fists while still using the attacks, and their punches met midway, causing them to gasp at the force and break off their attacks. There was still an advantage Nidoqueen had over Charizard, though. It could attack with both hands.

"Use Mega Punch with your other hand now!" Danny yelled.

Ash gritted his teeth. This was almost just like before. Charizard lost against Paul's Electabuzz because it couldn't use both of its hands to attack. Ash hadn't been able to train it yet to that. If Nidoqueen was able to use both hands, Charizard was in trouble. One punch was all Nidoqueen would need to be able to get a good opening for a devastating attack.

He then looked at Charizard to find to see it was staring at him from the corner of its eye, almost as if requesting him to command it to do something. It couldn't possibly want him to tell it to try Fire Punch with its other hand, could it? They hadn't trained for that yet. Still, the look in Charizard's eyes said different. The situation seemed to last a while, but it was really only a few seconds. Deciding to take a leap of faith, Ash said his next command.

"Counter with Fire Punch on your other hand, Charizard!" Ash hollered.

Charizard wound up its other fist to get it charged with fire. It started out quite small briefly, but everyone gasped in surprise as they watched it become fully enveloped in fire just like its other fist. It then met the incoming Mega Punch with its own Fire Punch, effectively halting it. It rather startled Nidoqueen and Danny. From what they had seen earlier, they didn't think Charizard could use both of its hands. Charizard then used its other hand and delivered a fiery punch to Nidoqueen's face.

"That was awesome, Charizard! You did it!" Ash cheered.

He soon realized he spoke too soon, however. The fire around Charizard's left hand quickly died down before going back to normal. Ash sighed. He should've known better that it wouldn't work perfectly like that. However, it still created the opening Ash needed as Nidoqueen was still stunned.

"That's okay, Charizard! Lift Nidoqueen into the air!" Ash hollered.

Despite being slightly disappointed that its bad hand didn't fully work yet, Charizard still obeyed and lifted up Nidoqueen. By now the drill Pokemon had recovered and glared at Charizard.

"Use Poison Sting! Danny called.

Nidoqueen positioned itself to shoot the glowing needles at Charizard to get it to let go, but the fire lizard saw this coming. It effectively turned Nidoqueen the other way, and it ended up shooting the Poison Sting at nothing but air.

"Now use Seismic Toss!" Ash called.

Charizard then began to go as high as it would go before spinning in circles. It then quickly began soaring back down towards the ground. Nidoqueen was desperately trying to break free and shooting out Ice Beams and Poison Stings, but Charizard was able to reposition its body so it would miss every time. Charizard then grabbed one of Nidoqueen's arms and slammed it into the snow with incredible force. Nidoqueen had hit the snow extremely hard so it didn't really cushion the attack at all. That Seismic Toss had still done a lot of damage.

"Nidoqueen!" Danny cried in astonishment.

There was a flurry of snow that was surrounding the area where Nidoqueen fell. Eventually, the snow settled back on the ground, and Nidoqueen was knocked out.

Ash's face broke out into a huge smile at that. He won. He just beat Danny in his first rotation battle ever. It was really intense, but he and his Pokemon were able to pull through when they realized they needed all of their strengths to win.

"Guys! We won! You were all awesome!" Ash exclaimed as he picked up Pikachu to give it a hug. Primeape shakily stood up and pumped its fist into the air despite feeling some paralysis. Charizard flew over and gave several victory Flamethrowers into the air. It might still have some training to do with attacking with both arms, but for right now, it will do. It wasn't long before Serena, Leaf, Misty, and Tracey joined Ash.

For a while, Danny stared in shock. Then he took out a pokeball before returning Nidoqueen and thanked it for a job well done. He then looked at Ash celebrating with his friends and let out a small smile.

"Well, he beat me," he said.

"That makes two victories for me at the Orange League! I think I might actually have a chance at this rate!" Ash cheered.

"That was a great battle, Ash!" Tracey complimented. "I'm sure glad I was able to see firsthand your skills. I have no doubt you really earned your Top Four position after watching you!'

"Thanks, Tracey!" Ash replied before turning to Pikachu, Charizard, and Primeape, "But I couldn't have done it without them!"

It was then Danny approached Ash. "Ash, it was a great battle. You beat me fair and square in the rotation battle and made great use of your Pokemons' skill to overcome the odds. Once you got the hang of it, you knew exactly who to send out and why. That's half the fight right there. Because of your great skill in decision making and battling, I want to give you the Sea Ruby Badge. It's yours. You deserve it," Danny said as he presented a white seashell with a jewel in the middle.

Ash put on an even bigger smile as he took the badge from Danny's outstretched hand. "Thanks a lot, Danny! I think I really learned a lot from a battle like this!"

"That's what it's about," Danny agreed.

Ash's friends smiled. This battle proved that Ash still hadn't lost his touch. He was presented a new type of challenge and rose against the odds. Battles like this would only undoubtedly help him. That still left a thought in all of their heads, however. All of the Orange Crew had a different type of Pokemon battle. What would the others be like?

* * *

"Well, now I'm halfway to the Orange League. Think I can do it, buddy?" Ash asked as he shined his new badge before pinning it to the inside of his jacket.

"Pikachu!" it agreed happily.

Serena watched Ash with a smile before changing the subject. "So where should our next destination be?" she asked. From what she could tell, they were quite a distance away from any island with a gym.

"I don't think there is any rush to go to the next gym," Ash replied. "When I signed up, they said the Orange League wasn't for another few months. I'll be done way before the time comes."

"Heh. Confident, aren't you?" Misty smirked.

"I'm only saying that there's no rush. I think now that I'm halfway, I want to take a break and really train my Pokemon. That way I can be prepared for anything a member of the Orange Crew throws at me," Ash said.

"I'm surprised, Ash. Normally, you would be really eager to challenge the next gym," Leaf commented.

"Well, I just want to make sure I'm prepared," Ash shrugged.

Tracey wasn't paying too much attention to the conversation. He was thumbing through the guidebook as he took a look at all of the various islands. What was something they could all do while Ash was training? It was then his eyes landed on something.

"Hey, guys," he spoke up, getting their attention. "Remember the captain mentioning there are water Pokemon tournaments in the Orange Archipelago? Well, there's one that happens to be in a few days."

"A water Pokemon tournament?" Misty echoed, immediately becoming interested.

"That's right. It's held on Mandarin Island South. That's the largest island in the Orange Archipelago and has a really large stadium there," Tracey responded.

"Oh. My. Gosh! We have to go there!" Misty squealed. "This is finally my chance to test all I've learned since I left Cerulean City!"

The rest of the group let out nervous smiles. They should've known better that Misty would practically explode with excitement at the mention of a tournament held exclusively for water Pokemon. Still, that was actually a good idea. It gave them all something to do.

"You know what? I think that sounds pretty interesting, too. I think we really should check it out," Serena agreed.

"Sounds good to me, too! I think all of us will benefit by going there," Leaf said.

"Hooray!" Mis _ty_ cheered in excitement. She had been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time.

"Well, Lapras. It looks like we're heading to Mandarin Island South!" Ash told the transport Pokemon.

"Laaaaa!" it cried out.

The Orange Islands were really turning out to be a great experience. The group was able to make Pokevision videos. Ash had two badges, and now there was a water Pokemon tournament being held on the largest island around. In addition to that, who knows what else the island had in store for them? Despite their reason for going to Mandarin Island South, they had a feeling that a lot more was going to happen there than a water Pokemon tournament.

* * *

 **This battle was sort of hard to write. Honestly, it's getting a little harder to write chapters that are mainly about battling. I have to try to keep ideas as fresh as I can so the battles don't get boring. That's why it's taking a while to write chapter 11 and why I had writer's block for a while. Hopefully, it will fade with time.**

 **Next chapter is the first part of the promised water Pokemon arc. Hope you guys will enjoy it and I will see you all on September 20. Thanks for all the reviews and support.**

 **Chapter 10: The Water Pokemon Tournament: Part One**

 **Answering the Questions (slight spoilers)**

 _Will updates to battling style introduced in a possible Generation 7 may be considered to be introduced to the latter arc?_

 ** _It's certainly possible, but Gen 7 isn't out yet so there is really no way for me to know._**

 _Will there be any more appearances of Aria in this arc?_

 ** _Yes._**

 _Will Gary ever travel with ash and gang?_

 ** _Probably not. Gary's more of a loner and traveling with a lot of other people would cramp his style. If he does travel with the group, it wouldn't be for an extended period of time._**

 _Of the arcs, will this be the one with the least amount of chapters?_

 ** _Yes._**

 _Will anyone go through a clothes change?  
_

 ** _Not until the start of the next arc._**

 _Will you ever make chapter when Ash and Serena fight about something and get really mad ate each other for like a week or something?_

 ** _Umm...they have one really big fight that almost breaks them apart in this whole series, but I won't reveal what it's about. It isn't anytime soon anyways. As for this arc, they will have a one, but it will mainly be a misunderstanding than a fight._**

 _Will Aria have a Crush on Ash?_

 ** _No._**

 _When will Ash catch Snorlax?  
_

 ** _Between the third and fourth gym battles._**

 _How will Serena receive Fennekin?_

 ** _It's a secret._**


	10. The Water Pokemon Tournament: Part One

**A/N: Well, here is the first chapter of the two part water Pokemon tournament. There is not any actual battling in this chapter and it is more of a prologue. However, there are a few important things that happen this chapter so it is definitely worth your time. I try very hard to not just write "Filler".**

 **With that, please enjoy the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

* * *

Chapter 10: The Water Pokemon Tournament: Part 1

"Wow. This many people are here for the water Pokemon tournament?!" Ash asked in amazement.

"I didn't even know it would be this big of a deal! This place is nuts!" Misty agreed.

Sure enough, the group had just landed on Mandarin Island South where the water Pokemon tournament would be taking place. As soon as they got off Lapras, they saw trainers all over the place who were training their Pokemon, specifically water-types. It seemed with the only other tournament being the Orange League in the Orange Archipelago, everyone else who didn't compete in that did this instead. If the group didn't know better, they would say it was almost as packed as the Indigo League Pokemon Stadium. Of course, how many of these were spectators and battlers, the group had yet to know.

"Everybody looks so intense with their training. Are water Pokemon that big of a deal here?" Serena wondered.

"No. That isn't it," a woman said beside them, causing them to turn and raise an eyebrow.

A Nurse Joy and a Chansey were standing not too far from them. It wasn't like seeing her was unusual. It was just the fact that she was outside of her Pokemon Center for a change. As strange as it may sound, they had never seen a Nurse Joy outside of one except on Mewtwo's Island.

"Why are you out here, Nurse Joy? Shouldn't you be at the Pokemon Center?" Ash asked. He didn't mean to sound rude, but he was curious.

"Oh. I'm not this island's resident Nurse Joy. Chansey and I are just volunteering to help out during the water Pokemon tournament. People train so hard this kind of year so you never know when a Pokemon might need a quick treatment. I'm actually a traveling Nurse Joy that visits islands that don't have Pokemon Centers," the Nurse Joy explained.

"Well, now that you mention it, you don't look like the average Nurse Joy," Leaf commented in thought.

It was true. This Nurse Joy looked a little more muscular and tanner than other Nurse Joys. It was clearly a testament that she and Chansey worked outside a lot and had plenty of exercise.

"Excuse me, Nurse Joy. I remember you saying that water Pokemon being big here wasn't the reason for all the training. What was it?" Ash inquired.

"It's because one of the judges for the water Pokemon tournament is none other than Lorelei of the Elite Four. They are eager to train their water or ice Pokemon like she does in an effort to impress her," Nurse Joy answered with a slight giggle.

"Wow! Lorelei is here?! This is so great!" Tracey exclaimed.

"I know! I wonder if we'll get to meet her!" Leaf agreed in excitement.

Ash, Serena, and Misty gave nervous smiles at their friends' reactions. They couldn't really blame them, though. Leaf and Tracey didn't have a face-to-face encounter with Lorelei and the rest of the Elite Four like they had in Victory Road. Still, the fact that she was here was still going to be a pretty big deal. If any of these trainers really knew Lorelei, however, they would know she isn't very impressed with strong battling. She was sort of aloof and went with the flow. She would no doubt have some interesting input to this tournament.

"Oh! It looks like a trainer exhausted his Pokemon! I'll see you later!" Nurse Joy called as she and Chansey dashed off.

The group stared in amazement. They had never seen a Nurse Joy or Chansey move that fast before.

"So Lorelei's here, is she? I wonder if she remembers us," Misty wondered.

"Oh yeah! I remember you guys told me you met the Elite Four already!" Leaf remembered.

"You met all of them?!" Tracey asked in astonishment.

"Well, heheh. Yeah. Lance even helped Ash train one of his Pokemon," Serena answered with a slight laugh.

"Oh, my gosh! Now I'm really glad I'm traveling with you guys! Not only do you all know Professor Oak and did incredible in past tournaments, but you've met the Elite Four! Is there anything you haven't done!?" Tracey shouted eagerly.

"Well, we haven't tried skydiving yet," Ash joked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"With all that seems to happen to us, I don't think that is too far from a possibility in the near future," Misty muttered to herself.

"So where do we register? Would it be the Pokemon Center?" Serena asked.

"We could always ask someone. It isn't like this island is short of people right now," Leaf shrugged.

"I don't know. They all seem kind of…into it right now. I don't think we should disturb them," Ash mumbled as he looked at some of the people and Pokemon literally turning red in the face because they were concentrating so hard.

"Chuuuu," Pikachu sighed. It was really thankful Ash's training methods weren't like that.

"I think our best bet would be to stop by the Pokemon Center anyway. The Nurse Joy there is bound to know something," Serena decided.

The group figured that was the best course of action to take. When in doubt, ask a Pokemon Center. Not only could they get their Pokemon checked while they were there, but it was always a plethora of information when they needed it.

* * *

As the group approached the Pokemon Center, they all let out a collective sigh. There was quite the line leading out of the Pokemon Center right now. They've been to plenty of busy Pokemon Centers, but they had never been to one with a line leading outside like today, and it was even an extra large center! The group could only imagine what it would be like if not for the volunteering Nurse Joy helping out by the beach. It did answer the group's question, though. There would only be a line like this if many of these trainers were here to register for something. Surely this many people didn't seriously injure their Pokemon.

"Woah. This may take a while," Misty commented.

"Do you think we should just come back later," Leaf suggested.

"I don't think it would be any better later," Serena answered as she turned and saw there more people coming up behind them to wait in line. "It's best just to wait here."

It took a while, but the group finally managed to squeeze into the Pokemon Center. They thought they finally might get some relief from the heat by getting indoors, but there was no such luck. It was so crowded that it was rather warm in the Pokemon Center anyway. Every couch was full with trainers who were waiting for their Pokemon to be checked or just talking so the group couldn't even sit down.

"I don't think we'll be lucky enough to get a room in the Pokemon Center while we're here," Serena muttered.

"Well, it looks like we'll be sleeping outside then," Ash shrugged.

"At least it gets cool here at night. I couldn't imagine trying to sleep in this humidity," Misty sighed.

"I'm sure the humidity won't get bad until after we've all woken up. I slept outside in the Orange Islands a lot before I met you guys so I would know," Tracey reassured.

As the group neared Nurse Joy, they could tell she was quite stressed. She had a tired look to her eyes and her normally neat hair was rather unkempt. She must have had a long line ever since registration opened yesterday. Even with the help of the traveling Nurse Joy, she was still swamped. One they got to her, she blew a strand of hair out of her face before smiling at the group regardless of how exhausted she looked.

"Hello, there. Are you here to register for the water Pokemon tournament, too?" she asked.

"That's right!" Misty replied in excitement.

"That will be fine. Are all of you going to register?" Nurse Joy asked.

"I am for sure!" Misty replied.

"I'll do it!" Leaf said cheerfully.

"Me, too!" said Serena.

"Well, I only have a Marill so I won't," Tracey said sheepishly.

"Actually, count me out," Ash said.

The rest turned to look at Ash in shock. Did they hear correctly? Was Ash Ketchum actually backing out of a tournament?! What the heck?! Even Pikachu turned to give its trainer a strange look.

"Who are you and what have you done with Ash?" Leaf asked.

Ash merely shrugged in response. He should've known this would've prompted a strange reaction from the rest. Still, he had his reasons.

"Well, I figured now that I have two badges, there isn't a need to do a tournament. I would much rather take this opportunity over the next few days to train all of my Pokemon rather than just Wartortle, Kingler, and Lapras. We have yet to really work on any weaknesses we have since coming here, and I figured that I could do that now without having to worry about the tournament," Ash explained.

"Well, okay. You'll still watch our matches, right?" Serena asked, still a bit surprised.

"Of course! I'll be at every one of them," Ash assured.

"Well, in that case, just the three of us, Nurse Joy," Serena said to Nurse Joy, whom was awaiting the group's response patiently.

"I'll be more than happy, too. I'll just need your licenses, please," Nurse Joy requested.

The group did as they were told and handed Nurse Joy their IDs. The Pokemon nurse scanned them through her computer before typing in some information. She then handed the group back their licenses and gave them an apologetic smile.

"There. I have you registered for the water Pokemon tournament. I would offer you all rooms, but we are booked full the entire time," she told them.

"It's okay, Nurse Joy. We understand," Serena said with a smile. She and the rest figured as much.

"I think it would be best to go ahead and get a transfer to Professor Oak while we're here," Leaf suggested. "I'd rather do it now than later."

Even so, as the group turned to where the video phones were. They were all full, and there was a line behind them, too! Oh, boy. Well, the sooner they phoned Professor Oak, the sooner they could begin training and preparing their Pokemon.

It was about another thirty minutes before the group was able to get a free phone. They really wanted to call their families to let them know of their plans, but that may have to wait until later. There were people who were behind them, too, who probably needed to swap Pokemon. They could phone their families a little later after everything calms down.

Serena sat down first and dialed the number to Professor Oak's lab. There were no doubt other trainers who had called him earlier so he was probably needing to hurry and get this transfer done so he could move on to the next one. Sure enough, as Professor Oak's face popped up on the video phone, he did look a bit worn out. He still smiled when he saw who it was.

"Ah! Hello there, everyone. I'm going to take a wild guess and say you want to swap out some Pokemon for the tournament," Professor Oak figured.

"If you mind, Professor," Serena replied.

"Of course I don't mind, but you do have six Pokemon with you, Serena. In order for me to give you Omanyte and Slowpoke, I'll need two Pokemon in return," the Pokemon professor told her.

"Oh! Of course!" Serena answered as she thought of the six Pokemon with her right now.

At the moment, she had Charla, Nidorina, Gloom, Scyther, Fearow, and Jigglypuff. As she remembered, she had Fearow in her party ever since she captured it. The beak Pokemon could definitely use a break from traveling and rest at Professor Oak's lab. That would also allow it a good opportunity to meet the rest of her Pokemon as well as others. Scyther was the one Fearow seemed to get along with the most right now, probably because of their mutual dislike of Ash. She could send Scyther back, too, to keep Fearow company.

"Okay, Professor. I'll send over Scyther and Fearow for now," she said.

"That will be just fine, Serena. I have Omanyte and Slowpoke's pokeballs all ready for you," Professor Oak stated as he showed them to Serena.

"Sounds good. I'll send over Scyther and Fearow now," Serena said as she placed them in the transport before laughing. "Just make sure those two stay out of trouble."

"Hahaha! I'll do my best! I already know Scyther is a handful, and you told me your Fearow is, too!" Professor Oak replied as he placed Slowpoke and Omanyte's pokeballs on the transporter, as well.

He then pressed a button on his end, and the transfer commenced. Scyther and Fearow's pokeballs disappeared in a bout of electricity before appearing on Professor Oak's end a few seconds later. At the same time, Slowpoke and Omantye's pokeballs appeared on Serena's side. She picked them up and smiled before showing them to Professor Oak who likewise showed her.

"The transfer is complete, Serena. Now were any of the rest of you needing transfers?" Professor Oak asked the rest of the group.

"I don't need a transfer, but I would love to talk with you!" Tracey butted in as he got in front of Serena.

"Um…well I…," Professor Oak began, a little startled by Tracey's outburst.

"No! We're good Professor!" Serena smiled nervously as Misty pulled Tracey away by the ear. "We know you're busy right now so we'll just leave it at that!"

"Well, okay then, you all! Take care of yourselves...and the GS ball, too!" Professor Oak said before the screen shut off.

"I missed the chance to talk to Professor Oak," Tracey muttered sadly.

"He's busy right now. He doesn't have time to look at your sketches," Misty said in aggravation before adding. "My goodness. You can be as bad as Brock was with girls."

"You guys keep mentioning Brock. Who was he?" Tracey wondered in interest.

"Brock was a former traveling companion of us before we met you. He was aiming to be the best Pokemon breeder," Ash answered. "He did a lot of things for us, and we're really grateful. He just had a bad habit of hitting on any girl he saw."

"Oh. Eheheheh. Sorry," Tracey said in embarrassment. "Where is he now?"

"He's now staying with Professor Ivy on Valencia Island. I hope he is doing well," Serena said fondly as she remembered the tanned teen.

"He sounds pretty neat. I'd like to meet him and get some sketches of him caring for his Pokemon," Tracey commented.

"Well, hopefully one day you will," Ash replied as they left the overcrowded Pokemon Center.

* * *

The group was now standing in the crowd of people in the training area. They miraculously found a more secluded spot so they could do their training a little more privately. Serena especially needed to start training. It had been a very long time since either Slowpoke or Omanyte were in her party. If she hoped to do well, they needed to learn how to battle quickly.

"Okay! Come on out, Slowpoke and Omanyte!" Serena yelled as she released the two Pokemon from their pokeballs.

The two Pokemon appeared from their pokeballs, and both yawned like they had just woken up. It was then Omanyte saw Serena and immediately dashed over quicker than one would expect to cling to her leg. The slimy tentacles wrapped around Serena's leg causing her to grimace. The group then turned to Slowpoke to find it hadn't changed expressions or even moved a muscle since coming out of the pokeball.

"Yeah. I'm happy to see you, too, Omanyte. If it's okay, we need to start training for a tournament I'll use you in," Serena said.

"Ommmm?" Omanyte questioned in confusion as it looked up at Serena.

"You know? A battle? Like the one you had with Cubone a few months ago?" Serena asked, trying to jog its memory.

Omanyte continued to stare inquisitively at Serena while Slowpoke stood by doing nothing. The group let out a sigh. It seemed training these two would be a little harder than they thought.

"I hate to say it, but I don't know if this is a good idea, Serena," Leaf spoke up.

Serena sighed in worriment. It seems that in her haste and desire to participate in the water Pokemon tournament, she forgot about the natures of Omanyte and Slowpoke. They weren't exactly the smartest Pokemon she had. Serena hated to think that, but it was true. What was she supposed to do now? Omanyte and Slowpoke were the only water Pokemon she had! Slowpoke always looked like it had no idea what was going on. Omanyte could battle a little bit when it focused, but there was no way it could hold a tournament all on its own!

"Ohhhhh. I really have my work cut out for me," Serena moaned as she sank to her knees.

The rest of the group frowned as they watched Serena. They really didn't know what to tell her, not even Ash. This tournament was going to be an uphill climb trying to win with Omanyte and Slowpoke. They turned to Omanyte who was simply watching Serena and then to Slowpoke who…still looked the exact same.

"Maybe Slowpoke could be a great battler once it knows where it is?" Ash suggested as he, Pikachu, and Togepi walked in front of Slowpoke.

The three then began to wave their hands in front of its face and make funny faces at it. Pikachu opted to shaking Slowpoke slightly while Togepi climbed on top of it and started bouncing up and down. Despite this, Slowpoke never moved or changed expression.

"Thanks for trying, Ash, but I don't think it's going to work. I may have to sit this tournament out, after all," Serena sighed.

Then, to everyone's great surprise, Slowpoke actually blinked.

They all gasped and gather around Slowpoke to see if it would do something else! It took some effort, but they finally got a reaction out of it! Maybe there was hope, after all!

"Come on, Slowpoke? Can you hear me?" Serena asked hopefully.

Slowpoke then surprising blinked again. It then slowly turned its head and began looking around at its surroundings. Despite this movement, it gave no sign it heard Serena. It then slowly turned back to Serena and looked like it finally noticed her for the first time.

"Slooooooooow," it mumbled.

The group fell over in disbelief. Seriously?! It took Slowpoke this long to realize that it had been released from its pokeball!? Never mind. It didn't appear there could be hope for poor Slowpoke unless something drastic happened.

"Sorry about that, Serena," Ash told her in sympathy as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Serena nodded her head until something came to her. She was on an island right now! The surrounding area was chock-full of water Pokemon. If she couldn't use Slowpoke, she could always catch a new one and train it before the tournament, and it just so happened one of her best friends had the answer to what she needed.

"Leaf!" Serena suddenly exclaimed. "Can I please use your Super Rod? I haven't caught a new Pokemon since Fearow! I'd really love to catch another Pokemon now! If I use your Super Rod, I bet I could get a really awesome Pokemon for the tournament!"

Leaf smiled in response. "Of course!" she beamed as she set down her back pack to pull out the fishing rod. It was able to fit due to being able to fold for easy transportation.

"Oh! That's right! Good thinking!" Ash commented with a nod.

"Great! Let's go!" Serena said as she took the Super Rod from Leaf and began running to the ocean with the rest following.

They had taken no more than ten steps when they realized that not everyone was present. The group turned around and saw Omanyte and Slowpoke still back there. The two were simply watching them run off and giving no indication they would move soon. The group let out a sigh as they hurried back to retrieve the two slow Pokemon before finally heading over to the shoreline.

* * *

Once the group made it to the ocean, Serena wasted no time in preparing the Super Rod. As she was doing so, Misty decided to try fishing herself. It had been quite a while since she got a new Pokemon. If she were to become a water Pokemon Master, she needed more than she already had. Now was as good a time as any to get one. Misty fished through her back for a little bit before she found the item she needed. It was her own personal Misty lure.

"There isn't a single water Pokemon in existence that can resist my Misty lure!" Misty said as she began attaching it to her own Good Rod.

"Any blind water Pokemon can't resist it. If they can actually see your lure, they might be scared off," Ash joked.

"Haha. Very funny, Ash Ketchum," Misty muttered sarcastically.

By that time, Serena was done preparing her Super Rod with help from Leaf. She and Misty then walked to the edge of the shore and cast their lines in the ocean. Serena herself had never tried fishing with a rod of this caliber before so she was a little nervous. Her Slowpoke and Omanyte were beside her to watch the proceedings, or as close to watching as one could get when you're Slowpoke.

A couple of minutes went by without anything biting. This rather surprised the group. They figured with a Super Rod that the Pokemon would just come swarming in. Misty, on the other hand, was just shocked her Misty lure wasn't working like before.

"Did we just pick a bad spot?" Serena wondered in confusion.

"No. That Super Rod will work in any location. It's supposed to attract a really good Pokemon so maybe one hasn't come by yet. The way the rod works is that it has a special type of gem at the end that only attracts certain Pokemon. Magikarp and Tentacool aren't interested so they never go for the rod," Leaf explained.

"Oh. I see," Serena replied as she turned around. That made sense. There may have been several potential bites from Magikarp by now, but they aren't simply interested in this rod.

"Just as long as we don't reel in a Gyarados, I'm good," Ash commented.

It was then Serena felt a pull on her rod. It wasn't great, but it was there. Serena's eyes lit up while she briefly tensed. She just needed to wait for a strong tug before she pulled it in. The rest of the group all waited in eagerness to see if it would take the bait. All of a sudden, the lure went under and Serena immediately sprang into action. She pulled hard on the rod and began to reel whatever it was that was biting.

Misty briefly abandoned her rod as she and the others began to help Serena reel it in. A few seconds later, a tadpole looking Pokemon leaped from the water before going back under. It looked like it was putting up quite a fight for such a little guy.

"It's a Poliwag!" Serena said in excitement as she and the others continued to pull.

The Poliwag then burst out of the water, the line still attached to it. The small blue Pokemon then landed on the ground before shaking itself and staring at the group. Serena set down her rod while the line unknowingly sunk back into the ocean. She then approached the Poliwag and gave it a big smile. This was the first Pokemon she had ever caught with a fishing rod. It was quite exciting.

…That was until the Poliwag leaped into the air and began slapping Serena across the face with its tail. It then began laughing.

Serena grimaced for a moment before shaking herself. She then placed her hands on her hips and glared at the Poliwag before her.

"Hey! That wasn't very nice!" she scolded before she noticed something strange about it.

There was some sort of strange looking rock on its head. It was brown and looked somewhat like a crown.

"What is that supposed to be?" Serena wondered, briefly forgetting about how the Poliwag just attacked her.

"I've heard of those. That's a King's Rock," Tracey answered, causing the others to look at him.

"I've never heard of a King's Rock. What does it do exactly, and why is this Poliwag carrying one?" Serena asked as she watched the Poliwag.

By now, the Poliwag had apparently gotten bored of the group watching it and opted to run around instead. It was dashing all over the place and couldn't seem to sit still for even the tiniest of moments. Was it always this active?

"I'm not exactly sure, but I know it has a certain effect on some Pokemon," Tracey recalled as he began to scratch his head to try to remember which ones they were.

"That sure is a feisty Poliwag," Leaf muttered as they watched it run…err waddle…around before adding, "I didn't even know it was possible for a Poliwag to be carrying one. Quite rare. Maybe that Super Rod worked, after all"

"Uh, do any of you feel up to battling Poliwag for me?" Serena asked Slowpoke and Omanyte.

Unsurprisingly, Slowpoke didn't respond while Omanyte just looked at Serena in confusion.

"Oh! I should've known," Serena groaned. It looked like she would have to use her other Pokemon to battle it.

That was when the Super Rod began shaking once more. The group turned and made a dive for it just as it was about to fall into the ocean. Serena grabbed onto it just in time. She was then pulled back by her friends to keep from falling in herself. She and the others began to pull hard. It turned out this Pokemon was a little more willing to be caught then the Poliwag. They ended up pulling a little too hard.

The group gasped as a new Pokemon soared out of the ocean. It was a Shellder. The group watched as the Shellder flew over their heads. The bivalve Pokemon then let go of the line and began descending towards the ground. Upon seeing it was falling, the Shellder took to grabbing on to the nearest thing it could. It then saw the perfect thing: Slowpoke's head.

The Shellder immediately clamped down onto Slowpoke's head which caused the others to gasp. Slowpoke, on the other hand, didn't even appear to know what was going on. It still didn't even change expression or even flinch when this Shellder attached itself to Slowpoke's head!

"Wait! Don't grab onto Slowpoke's head!" Serena cried as she went over to Shellder and began to try to pull it off Slowpoke, but to no avail.

The group couldn't help but sweat drop at what was going on. This was certainly not how they were expecting this round of fishing to go. Serena was having a pretty difficult time. First, a feisty Poliwag slapped her in the face, and now a Shellder had just clamped down on her Slowpoke's head and wouldn't let go. If Shellder had grabbed the tail, it might have been a good thing, but it just had to be the head.

"It's on so…tight!" Serena said through gritted teeth as she tried to pry it off. The Shellder still stubbornly held on, though. Slowpoke, meanwhile, didn't appear fazed at all. The Shellder couldn't stay on poor Slowpoke's head forever!

The Poliwag, meanwhile, was watching the events from the side. It was rather humorous for a while how this girl was trying to get a Shellder off of her Pokemon. It was so dopey! Even so, eventually Poliwag was starting to get bored. It turned around to run back in the ocean, but instead smacked right into the hard shell of Serena's Omanyte who appeared out of nowhere. Omanyte turned to look at the Poliwag who became a little dazed. The Poliwag then fell over on its back…which caused the King's Rock to fly off its head in the process. The Poliwag watched in despair as its item soared through the air and by some weird coincidence, landed right on Slowpoke.

For the first time, Slowpoke finally had a reaction triggered from it as it turned to stare inquisitively at the King's Rock on its back. It then turned its eyes upward to look at the Shellder clamped onto its head. This reaction caused Serena to stop tugging on the Shellder for a moment. She didn't know why, but Slowpoke all of the sudden looked really strange right now. This was the first time it had ever reacted on time to something! The others leaned in a little closer, too, to watch.

"Umm, Slowpoke? Are you okay?" Serena questioned, a bit confused.

She then let out gasp as Slowpoke began to glow white. Everyone watched in genuine surprise as the Shellder also began to glow white and change form. It then appeared as if Slowpoke began standing up on its own and its forelegs beginning to look more like arms. Slowpoke finally stopped glowing, and in its place stood a Pokemon the group had never seen before.

It looked sort of like a Slowpoke or Slowbro. The only difference was it was standing without the aid of a Shellder on its tail. It also had what appeared to be a spiny ruff around its neck of alternating red and white stripes. On top of its head, the mutated Shellder was a spiral shape with two horns near the base with a red jewel in the middle. The way Slowpoke…err…this new Pokemon stood with its hands behind its back almost made it look…well…majestic.

"Uh…what just happened?" Ash muttered in the genuine confusion.

Everyone in the entire group was flabbergasted. Of everything that they were expecting to happen today, this was not one of them. This had to be the most unplanned and random evolution of one of their Pokemon the group had never seen. A series of really strange coincidences led up to this. The group didn't think they could repeat these events if they tried.

"Ummm…," Serena mumbled as she, Ash, and Leaf took out their national dexes to scan the new Pokemon.

"Slowking, the royal Pokemon and the evolved form of Slowpoke. It is able to remain calm in any situation and is highly intelligent," said the machines.

"Wait a second. So Slowpoke…err…Slowking is smart now?" Ash asked.

"Let's test it out," Serena said as she walked over to her newly evolved Pokemon, who actually turned look at her and knew she was there. That was a start.

"Hi, Slowking. Can you understand me?" Serena inquired in an unsure tone.

Slowking let out a smile and nodded its head. It pointed its finger to the side and appeared to be looking at something. Serena followed its finger and saw the Poliwag from earlier. It was still wandering around and appeared to be quite dazed from Omanyte's shell. In all the chaos, Serena and the others completely forgot about Poliwag!

"Serena! Your pokeball!" Ash shouted, being the first one to react.

"Right!" Serena agreed as she hastily pulled out a pokeball and threw it at the feisty Poliwag. "Pokeball, go!"

The pokeball sailed through the air and astutely struck the Poliwag. It then opened up and sucked the tadpole Pokemon in. The pokeball then began to shake back and forth as it struggled to break free. After about ten seconds, the pokeball dinged to signal Serena's new capture.

"That's great, Serena! You just got a Poliwag, even though it is a little frenzied," Leaf told her.

Serena smiled as she went over to retrieve her Pokemon, but she was stopped by Slowking. The Pokemon held out its hand in front of Serena and shook its head for a moment. It then turned back to the pokeball containing Poliwag before its eyes glowed blue. The pokeball then became enveloped in a blue glow. It then was lifted off the ground and began making its way towards Serena before landing in her awaiting hands. Serena stared in confusion at the pokeball for a moment before turning to Slowking, who simply shrugged its shoulders.

"Um…thanks Slowking," Serena muttered.

"I guess that means your Slowking can use psychic powers now. I bet that will be really useful in the water Pokemon tournament," Misty said.

"Well, Serena. I think you have a good team now," Ash shrugged as he gestured to Omanyte, Slowking, and her newly captured Poliwag.

It was then Misty's rod began to shake now. Misty immediately ran over and began to pull on the line. A few seconds later, the group gasped as they saw yet another Poliwag emerge from the water. Misty's eyes then widened as she saw the Poliwag heading straight for her face. The second tadpole Pokemon collided with Misty and she was sent toppling on the ground.

"Misty! Are you alright?!" Tracey asked as he and others went to help her.

"Ohhhhhhh. Why me?" Misty moaned as she lay on the sand.

She then turned and saw the Poliwag she reeled in looking worriedly at her. It then unexpectedly went over to Misty and began gently brushing her off with its tail. Misty then sat up and stared at the Poliwag who now had an apologetic look on its face.

"Oh. Thank you, Poliwag. That was nice of you," Misty told it in surprise, clearly not expecting it to help her out.

Poliwag then leaped into Misty's lap and gave her a big smile before laughing merrily.

"Oh! Aren't you just the sweetest thing?!" Misty squealed as she wrapped her arms around the Poliwag and gave it a big hug.

"Poli! Poli!" the Poliwag cried as it seemed to enjoy Misty's attention. It then saw a small scrape on Misty's arm from when she fell. It then stopped laughing and gave a sad expression at it.

"It's okay, Poliwag! I know you didn't mean it! I can fix that scrape in a jiffy! Don't be sad over it!" Misty reassured.

"Poli!" the tadpole cried again as it once again gave a wide smile to Misty.

"Awwww! You're so cute!" Misty cooed as she gave the Poliwag another hug.

"Those two sure seem to be hitting it off," Leaf muttered as she and the rest watched the strange scene in front of them.

"Hey, Poliwag! How would you like to come with me? I absolutely love water Pokemon like you! I could really use a Pokemon as sweet as you on my team! What do you say?!" Misty asked.

"Poli!" Poliwag cried as it began to nuzzle into Misty's stomach.

"Great!" Misty smiled before squealing again at how great the Poliwag was. "I have such a sweet Poliwag compared to the previous one we saw!"

Ash, Leaf, and Tracey all gave a cheesy grin at this. This by far had to be the strangest day of fishing they had ever done. Well, it all turned out okay because it was successful for both Serena and Misty. Even so, who knew such series of events could lead to something like this? Serena catches a Poliwag who just happens to be holding a King's Rock. Then she just happens to catch a Shellder who just happens to land on Slowpoke's head. Then the Poliwag loses its King's Rock which just happens to land on Slowpoke, too, causing it to evolve. Then Misty just happens to snag a Poliwag that was the complete opposite of the Poliwag that Serena got. It was times like this which proved that life events were even stranger than fiction.

* * *

It had been a few hours since the group had been fishing. By now, the horde of people in the Pokemon Center had shrunken considerably. Most people must have been registered by now. This left the group free to use the phone without having to worry about anyone in line behind them. Misty had decided to phone her sisters first while the rest of the group was off training their Pokemon.

She walked into the Pokemon Center with her new Poliwag by her side, beaming to herself. She couldn't wait to let her family know that she was competing in a water Pokemon tournament. That would prove to them that she isn't just idly meandering around and doing nothing like they thought. Not to mention, she heard this event was going to be televised so they could watch her progress. Her sisters were total airheads, but she still wanted them to notice her, too.

"Would you like to meet my sisters, Poliwag?" Misty asked as she sat down in front of the phone.

"Poli!" it answered happily as it hopped into Misty's lap.

"Of course! You're so adorable!" Misty cooed again. She was happy to have such a friendly and social Pokemon. She needed a nice balance from the headache that Psyduck and Shellder usually gave her.

Misty then called her house number. She really hoped her sisters were there and weren't off shopping or preparing for a show. Misty's eyes then lit up as she actually saw her eldest sister, Daisy, appear on the screen. Once the blonde-haired girl saw who it was, she put on a bright smile and waved to her little sister.

"Like, hi there, Misty! We haven't heard from you in forever! What's up?" Daisy asked in her valley girl accent.

"Daisy! It's good to see you, too!" Misty answered cheerfully.

"Hold on one second," Daisy said before turning to the side and calling out, "Hey, girls! Misty's, like, on the phone right now!"

A few seconds later, Misty's other sisters, Violet and Lily, appeared in the screen. They gave Misty a big grin and waved to her, as well. Misty smiled and waved back to them. She was rather happy that they were glad to see her. She remembered when she last saw them in Cerulean City, they didn't waste any time in making fun of her. They really changed their attitude around her once she won their respect by proving she was good trainer.

"Misty! Where are you right now?! Are you around?! You should totally come visit us!" Violet exclaimed.

"Yeah! Like we could totally let you do a show with us!" Lily added.

"That's really nice of you to say, but I'm not near Cerulean City right now," Misty replied with a sad smile.

"Then like, why are you?" Daisy wondered.

"I'm in the Orange Archipelago!" Misty stated proudly.

"Say what?!" all the sisters exclaimed at once before bursting into a series of questions.

"Like, why didn't you invite us?!" Daisy asked.

"Like, are there a bunch of hot guys there?!" Violet added.

"Oh, my gosh! What are the beaches like?! I could use a tan!" Lily shouted.

Misty leaned back a little in her chair, a bit startled by her sisters' sudden outburst. She then chuckled in embarrassment once she realized she never mentioned to her sisters where she was going. Well, it's too late now.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm here with my friends right now," Misty told them.

"Oh, right! If I remember, you were hanging out with that black-haired kid! Isn't he like, your boyfriend?" Daisy wondered.

"Oh no! No! No! No! No! Ash and I are most definitely not dating!" Misty answered hastily as she shook her head back and forth frantically. Ash was her friend and she liked him, but they disagreed on too many things sometimes.

"Chill out, Misty. No need to get so defensive," Daisy said slyly.

"Daisy, please stop," Misty mumbled tiredly as her head drooped to the side.

"Like, it was just a joke, Misty," Daisy smiled before adding, "Seriously, though, I bet the Orange Islands are full of hot guys for you to find!"

"Well," Misty recalled in thought, "There is this guy I met a while back that was from the Orange Islands. I met him in Fuchsia City. His name was Rudy."

"Way to go, Misty! Did you, like, get his number?!" Violet asked in excitement.

"Well…no," Misty replied sheepishly.

"Bummer," all three sisters sighed at the same time.

"Well, I mean…I still plan on seeing him while I'm here. He told me he is actually a member of the Orange Crew, and Ash is competing in the Orange League," Misty quickly affirmed.

"Oh, good. It wouldn't do if you met this cute guy and never saw him again. You do like, deserve the best man," Daisy said with a wink.

"Oh, thank you," Misty replied in thankfulness that her sisters said something so nice to her.

"Then again, we've never met this Rudy guy. So he may like, be a total letdown to us. You never were the best at choosing guys," Daisy shrugged.

Misty huffed in annoyance before glaring at her three sisters. She should've known better.

"Anyway, I didn't call you to talk about my love life," Misty said, now a little annoyed. "I called you to let you know that I'm competing in a tournament for water Pokemon so you could cheer me on."

"Like, a water Pokemon tournament?" Lily echoed.

"Yes. I've been working extra hard since I last you all over a year ago. I even just caught a new Pokemon," Misty replied as she presented her Poliwag in front of the screen. It beamed and waved at the Sensational sisters with its tail

"Oh! Like what a cute Poliwag!" all three sisters gushed.

"I know!" Misty agreed, her good mood returning to her.

"But can it battle?" Violet wondered.

"I'm sure it can. We were just about to get some training in after I called you," Misty told them with Poliwag nodding in agreement.

"We figured you must have caught a new Pokemon. Like, your Goldeen just appeared out of nowhere earlier today. It wasn't there, and then it was!" Daisy stated.

"Yeah," Misty replied, remembering that she now had over six Pokemon, and Goldeen's pokeball transported from her belt when she officially captured Poliwag.

"So is this tournament on television?" Daisy asked.

"It is. In the Kanto region, you should probably find it on channel ten," Misty told them.

"Got it. Like we'll make sure to watch you in our free time," Daisy responded.

"Yeah. We don't have a lot though because we are sometimes too busy doing shows or practicing," Violet added.

"Right," Misty replied with a roll of her eyes.

"It's all good, Misty. Like we'll make sure to watch you. You're our sister, and we love you," Daisy told her with a smile.

"Thanks. I love all of you, too," Misty said sincerely.

"Oh! Like, it's time for us to practice! We got to go!" Daisy suddenly stated.

"Um, okay. It was good to talk you all again," Misty replied.

"Likewise!" Violet responded. "Make sure to call us more often!"

"I will," Misty nodded

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to make sure this Rudy guy could watch your tournament, too!" Lily added.

With that, the screen went blank. Misty chuckled to herself as she hung up the phone. Leave it to her sisters to focus on nothing but guys and their shows. Still, she was glad that she got to talk to them, and they said they would watch her. Through all the teasing she got from her sisters, they all really did love each other.

"Well, you ready to head out, Poliwag?" Misty asked as she picked up the tadpole Pokemon.

"Poli!" it responded cheerfully.

"Great!" Misty answered as she headed to the door.

As she went out to train, Misty shook her head at what Lily last said to her. In case they forgot, how on Earth was she supposed to let Rudy know she was competing in the tournament? Didn't she already tell them she didn't have his number? It wasn't like she wasn't going to see him again soon, anyway. Sure, it would be great if he saw her compete in the tournament and see how great a trainer she was, but it wasn't realistic. The only way he would be able to watch her was if he was on the Mandarin Island South right now!

As the door to the Pokemon Center opened up, she stepped outside and nearly bumped into someone. She was about to apologize and continue on her way, but her words got caught in her throat when she saw who it was.

Black eyes stared back at her in equal surprise. The person was a handsome boy who was dressed in a black dress shirt and pants with a white vest over them. He had deep ruby hair and stood slightly taller than Misty. Beside him was a little girl who stared up in surprise before her face broke into a wide grin.

Misty finally found her voice after staring for a short while. She couldn't believe it. She felt like she had so many things to say, but all that came out was one word. Well, one name, technically.

"Rudy?" she gasped.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash had finally gotten his chance to train his Pokemon like he had meant to since leaving the Indigo Pokemon Stadium. He was really taking his dad's advice in training them. They could always improve in areas they excelled in, but an area they weren't so strong in was what they were working on right now.

"Okay, Muk. I know you're a really strong Pokemon, but a lot of the times you're a sitting duck for attacks. You can raise your defense and absorb attacks all you want, but sometimes when we go up against a really powerful opponent, that isn't enough," Ash told the sludge Pokemon.

"Muuuuuk," it agreed.

"I think we could make great use of your sludge body," Ash stated thoughtfully. "Have you ever tried stealth?"

"Muk?" it questioned.

"I think you might be able to hide your body in the ground because it's made of sludge. That might make you a little more mobile when dodging attacks. Can you give it a try?" Ash asked.

Muk nodded as it prepared its body. Slowly, but surely, it began to sink into the ground. Soon, Muk didn't even look like a Pokemon anymore. It just resembled a pile of spilled sludge. For now, that would be useful in dodging. That was good for the moment.

Ash left Muk's side to go to Charizard who was struggling at using both hands to do a Fire Punch. It kept growling in frustration at its inability to do the technique. It could get a small flame to form around its left hand, but it would fizzle out before Charizard could complete the move.

Charla was off to the side with its arms crossed as it watched Charizard. The truth was Charla was rather aggravated with Ash's Charizard right now. Its boyfriend was so caught up in improving its strength that they hadn't really spent a whole lot of time together lately. They weren't always together now due to the team rotations so it was crucial to make up for lost time, but even when they did happen to be in the same party, Charizard would rather focus on training.

Charla stomped over to Charizard before blowing out a puff of smoke. Charizard turned towards Charla and rolled its eyes before going back to perfecting its technique. Charla glared at its boyfriend for snubbing her like that. Who did it think it was?! Charla had half a mind to use Flamethrower on its neglectful mate right now but restrained itself. It didn't need to make the situation worse. It merely let out another aggravated growl before crossing its arms and watching again.

"Hey, Charizard. I think you're actually starting to get the hang of it," Ash encouraged as he went over to the fire lizard, Serena joining him. It was only a half truth, but Ash and Serena had noticed the deteriorating relationship between the two Charizard lately. It probably wouldn't hurt to tell Charizard just a tiny white lie to get it to stop punishing itself by doing nothing but train. It will never improve that way.

Charizard turned and raised an eyebrow at Ash's statement. It then took a look at all the rest of Ash's Pokemon training right now. Bulbasaur was practicing its jumping technique with its vines. Wartortle was learning to reduce damage and reflect it back by spinning in its shell using Pikachu's Thundershocks as attacks to reflect. It may learn Mirror Coat at his rate. Muk was still attempting to sink into the ground as much as it could. Hitmonchan was practicing its elemental punches and attempting to make the fire, ice, or thunder shoot from its fists like a projectile. Charizard shook its head before going back to training. It wasn't going to be seen as the lazy one.

"I think Ash is right, Charizard. You've worked really hard since Ash started over an hour ago. It wouldn't hurt to take a small break," Serena told it, hoping that it would notice her sulking Charla.

Charizard frowned as it turned to look at Serena and Charla. Truthfully, Charla did look rather upset right now. It wasn't intentionally ignoring Charla, it just turned out that way. Now that Charizard thought about it, they really haven't spent much time together lately. It wanted to get stronger, but not at the cost of losing its girlfriend. Maybe it could still let her know that it cared by taking a small break with her.

Charizard gave a reluctant sigh before walking over to Charla and nodding its head. Charla pretended to ignore Charizard and turned its head. Realizing what it was doing, Charizard initially thought of going to back to training. That would get it nowhere, though. Deciding to swallow its pride for a change, Charizard walked over to Charla and gave it a hug.

Charla wanted to be stubborn and continue to play hard to get, but when its boyfriend's arms wrapped around it, it couldn't take it anymore. Charla gave turned to Charizard and gave it a wide smile before taking it by the arm and dragging it off. Charizard was stumbling as Charla pulled it along and had to constantly flap its wings to keep from falling. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, after all. Who knows what Charla had in store for it?

"What do you think they're going to do?" Serena asked Ash as they watched the two fire lizards disappear behind a lone tree.

"I don't think I want to know," Ash replied as both eleven year olds got a grossed-out expression on their face.

To take her mind off whatever of the Charizard couple was doing, Serena turned back to look at her own Pokemon who were training with Leaf's Pokemon right now. Hitmonlee was meditating. No surprise there. Cubone was playing with Togepi. It was taking a break to watch Togepi while Serena went over to Ash. It was rather heartwarming for Serena to see the lonely Pokemon looking out for someone else now. Omanyte and Slowking were making use of their dual-types with Omanyte practicing Ancient Power and Slowking practicing its psychic attacks. It took some coaxing from Serena, but she managed to get her hyperactive Poliwag to practice, too. It was a lot like her Eevee, but more…troublemaking? Occasionally, Poliwag would shoot frowns at Slowking. It will never forget how it was robbed of its King's Rock like that. It didn't know the importance of the item and just liked it for the novelty, but still. Slowking either didn't notice Poliwag or was purposely ignoring it. That was so strange to see Slowking acting like this when just a couple of hours ago it didn't even know where it was. Slowking were even said to get smarter over time. It would be rather interesting to watch.

Serena then saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned and saw three people approaching her. One was revealed to be Misty who was happily chatting away with two other people Serena didn't recognize. Leaf and Tracey had already stopped their training upon seeing the new arrivals and went over to greet the two.

After a nod from Tracey and a squeal from Leaf, Misty saw Ash and Serena watching her with a raised eyebrow. Letting out a big smile, Misty hurried over to them with the teenage boy and young girl close behind her. Unfortunately, she unknowingly stepped on Muk who was still focused on sinking into the ground.

"Muuuuuuk!" the sludge Pokemon cried as it sprang up from the ground, earning a scream from Misty and the girl and a startled gasp from the boy.

"Hahahaha! Sorry about that, Misty. I guess that proves that Muk's stealth is getting a lot better though since you didn't see it," Ash laughed as he and Serena approached Misty and the two strangers.

"That thing almost gave me a heart attack!" the young girl exclaimed.

"So Misty, are these the friends whom you were referring to?" the boy asked.

"Well, yes," Misty admitted with a sigh, somewhat embarrassed that this was how their meeting was going.

"So Misty, it looks like you made some friends on the island. Where are you guys from?" Ash asked them as he held out a hand for the boy to shake.

"You may not know him, Ash, but Serena might," Misty smirked. "This is Rudy, and that's his sister, Mahri."

"Hmmm…nope. Doesn't ring a bell, but it's nice to meet you anyway," Ash smiled as he stuck his hand out again, which the boy slowly took this time.

Serena, however, went wide-eyed. This was Rudy?! This was the boy whom Misty said she met at the Fuchsia City festival? He was here?! Well, he certainly was as handsome as Misty had described him. Serena then shook her head of these thoughts and smiled at the boy, too.

"Hi, Rudy. I'm Serena. Misty has told us all about you!" she said in a friendly tone.

"Oh? She did?" Rudy inquired as he gave a knowing smile at Misty, who gave a sheepish grin.

"Um…not to be rude, but I don't recall ever hearing about you," Ash muttered.

"Rudy was the boy I danced with at the Fuchsia City festival. He's also the Trovita Island gym leader and a member of the Orange Crew," Misty told him.

"Oh, you're the gym leader?" Ash asked, suddenly becoming interested. "Well, I'm Ash Ketchum from the town of Pallet, and I want a…"

"Later, Ash," Serena whispered to him as she covered his mouth.

Understanding the message not to steal the spotlight from Misty, Ash slowly nodded his head. They weren't even at Trovita Island yet so requesting a gym match would be quite unexpected and rude. He just met the guy, after all. If he was the gym leader, it wasn't like Ash wasn't ever going to see the guy again.

"That boy's funny!" Mahri giggled, referring to Ash.

"Well, it's lovely to meet you two," Rudy finally replied with a polite bow to Ash and Serena.

"Anyway, we're all fixing to go do things. We have a lot of catching up to do. I just wanted you all to meet him," Misty beamed.

"Oh, well, okay. That sounds fun. When can we expect you back?" Ash wondered.

"I don't know. I'll call you guys on my Pokegear when I'm heading back," Misty told him.

"Well, Misty? Shall we?" Rudy asked as he flipped his hair and held out his arm for Misty to take.

"Yes, my good sir, Rudy. We shall," Misty giggled as she gladly took his arm and began strolling off with Mahri bouncing after them.

Ash and Serena couldn't help but watch after them with surprised looks on their face. Who knew a boy like that could take a genuine interest in Misty? They didn't mean to imply Misty wasn't a good choice for a girlfriend because she was. They just weren't used to seeing her act…well…girly like that. Leaf and Tracey soon appeared next them and were thinking along the same lines as Ash and Serena.

"Well, it looks like Misty found someone else to hang out with while we're here," Leaf figured.

"I know, but I'm still so happy for her," Serena smiled. "Rudy seems like an absolute gentleman and so graceful, and his sister seems very nice, too. I think they'll get along great."

"I can be a gentleman, too," Ash stated with hint of indignation.

"Yeah, Ash. You have the grace of a circus clown, but a sweet one," Leaf replied with a roll of her eyes.

"It's okay. I wouldn't have Ash any other way," Serena said as she leaned on Ash's arm, causing him to grin.

* * *

It was almost ten o'clock now, and Misty had spent the whole day with Rudy and Mahri. Despite this, time had really flown by for her. The three were on Rudy's private boat that he had brought over from Trovita Island to get here. Even though they hadn't seen each other in many months and had only met twice, the two were laughing and chatting like they had known each other their whole life. It sounded cliché, but it was true. Misty couldn't recall the last time she had so much fun with another person in her life. Rudy was everything she had ever hoped for in a guy. He was charming, gentlemanly, and handsome. Despite this, Misty was still amazed by one thing.

"I'm so happy you actually remembered me," Misty said sincerely as the two watched the ocean together.

Rudy turned to look at her and gave a charming smile. "How could I forget you? I know it was only a few hours, but we had a lot of fun the night of the Fuchsia Festival. Mahri couldn't stop talking about you for the the rest of the week."

"How nice," Misty smiled as she looked down at the younger girl.

"You're the coolest, Misty! You and my brother are perfect for each other!" Mahri beamed.

At that, Rudy and Misty blushed slightly. They turned away from each other and let out a nervous chuckle. It was like she was the voice of what their thoughts were. It was a little embarrassing for both of them.

"Come now, Mahri. Misty and I get along great, but you shouldn't say things like that," Rudy told her.

"Awwwww! I just said what I saw! I've never seen you take interest in a girl like this before!" Mahri whined.

"Hahahaha! Misty is definitely a great girl! No one can deny that!" Rudy admitted.

"You've been thinking about me, Rudy?" Misty asked curiously. She still had a light blush on her face.

"Yes. I have. I hadn't heard from you in so long, I thought it was you who had forgotten about me," Rudy said.

"Heheheh. That's exactly how I felt. I'm glad we were both wrong," Misty chuckled.

"Me, too," Rudy agreed as they turned back to the ocean.

For a while, the three didn't say anything. Mahri gave a huge yawn as it was getting pretty late and began nodding off. Misty knew they wouldn't have too much longer to spend together. The water Pokemon tournament would be tomorrow, and Misty would be focusing on that and wouldn't be able to see Rudy and Mahri as much as she would like. Once they learned she was entering, they promised to be in the stands cheering her on, which made her very happy. It was a few more moments of silence before Rudy broke it.

"So Misty, what do think of the people you are traveling with right now?" Rudy asked her.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Misty questioned, caught off guard a little.

"I mean…do you get along with all of them? Do you enjoy traveling with them?" Rudy elaborated.

"Hmmm…," Misty thought to herself.

What did she think of the friends she traveled with? She would never forget her first meeting with Ash and Serena. The two had stolen her bike and completely fried it and now owe her a new one. She originally followed them along so they could pay her back, but overtime, they actually came to know each other and get along when they weren't fighting. Misty had actually forgotten about that. Brock then entered the equation, and just like with everyone else, he was the big brother she never had. Leaf was also traveling with them for the time being, and she got along great with her. Now Tracey was in the group, and despite a very rocky start, he was proving to be a grand member of the group. What did she do to contribute, though?

"You know, I never really took too much thought into it until now," Misty began before continuing, "Now that you mention it, I tend to be the brunt of some jokes among the group. I know I'm the most likely to lose my temper in the group which tends to cause some arguments to break out."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Rudy said, a bit surprised.

"Even so, I really do like them all, especially Serena. I know they all really like me, too, or they wouldn't want me to travel with them, and they've even told me I'm a valuable member of their group before. We have so much fun together," Misty smiled with fondness.

"I'm glad you all like each other," Rudy nodded.

"Despite all of that, will you keep a secret?" Misty asked.

"Sure, Misty. What is it?" Rudy asked.

"I know I'm friends with everyone in the group, but I sometimes wonder if I'm a third wheel, and I wonder if they would be better off without me," Misty sighed.

"Why would you think that?" Rudy asked curiously.

"I don't know. Sometimes, I just wish I found a sense of belonging somewhere. I'm doing the least out of everyone in the group," Misty continued.

"You're doing the water Pokemon tournament, aren't you?" Rudy pointed out.

"That's true, but it's the first real thing I've done with my goal to be a water Pokemon master in over a year," Misty rebutted.

"Misty, I'm sure your friends don't think of you like that," Rudy told her seriously.

"Thanks, Rudy," Misty smiled before a thought came to her. "Why were you wanting to know about how I get along with the others I travel with?"

"Oh. It's nothing," Rudy replied with slight laugh as he turned back around.

Misty watched him curiously. He seemed to be encouraging to her and was happy when she said she got along with her friends. If she didn't know better, though, she also detected a small amount of disappointment when she was listing the fun she had with them. Before she could ponder over his reason for asking her, he picked up Mahri and gave an apologetic smile at Misty.

"I think it's time we turned in. I have to put Mahri to bed. She's had a lot of excitement today, and well…you can see how she is now," Rudy said as he gestured to the half-asleep younger girl.

"Oh. Of course, Rudy. It's okay. I need to be getting back to the others. They're probably waiting for me," Misty replied.

"In that case, good night, Misty. Sweet dreams, and good luck in the tournament tomorrow. We'll be cheering for you," Rudy told her.

"Night, Misty," Mahri yawned.

"Good night to you two, as well," Misty smiled as she turned to go.

She didn't really want to go quite yet, but Misty knew she would need a good night sleep for what was to come tomorrow. She felt more ambitious than ever about winning the water Pokemon tournament. It would take her one step closer towards her dream of being a master water-type Pokemon trainer, but it would also impress a certain red-haired boy and her sisters. The thought of winning the tournament actually made a big smile grace her features.

"Hey, Misty," Rudy called out gently, snapping Misty out of her thoughts.

Misty turned to see him with a gentle, yet genuine smile on his face. He was staring her straight in the eye.

"Yes, Rudy?" she inquired.

"I'm really glad we got to see each other again," he told her.

"Oh, Rudy. I'm really glad, too," she smiled and unknowingly put her hand over her heart.

"Good night," he said one last time before turning to go with Mahri in his arms.

Misty watched his retreating back for a moment longer than she thought. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she felt nearly breathless. What was it about Rudy that made her feel this way? She's met several boys in her life and spent time with them, especially since she had grown up a tomboy. She hasn't even known Rudy that long, but just felt some connection with him. They had so much in common.

Forcing her thoughts away from Rudy, Misty continued back and once again found herself thinking about why she had come to this island in the first place. Too long had she been in the back doing nothing for her dream. Now, she was going to step up her game and get serious. This water Pokemon tournament would just be the beginning of what's to come for her. She was going to be a water Pokemon master, darn it! Maybe Ash's determination was finally starting to rub off on her. She was going to win the Water Pokemon tournament!

* * *

 **Rudy's back, and now he and Misty actually will have time to develop their relationship before Ash's Trovita Island gym match! Misty is going to have quite the spotlight for the next...three chapters or so.**

 **All the battles start next chapter, and Lorelei will also of course reappear. She may even have some input on the group when she comes across them.**

 **The Orange Islands arc is actually starting to stretch out a little longer than I intended. I was originally planning for about 18-19 chapters, but it may be as long as 22. It's already chapter 10 and we still have the water Pokemon tournament, Ash's third and fourth gym challenges, Ash catching Snorlax and Tracey getting Scyther, the Power of One arc which will be three chapters long, a special chapter, and lastly, Pummelo Stadium. I can't really write all that in 8 chapters. Oh well, the more the better, I suppose.**

 **The Lapras poll is closed, and yeah, Lapras staying with Ash won by a huge landslide. Don't worry, I had a plot element ready no matter which side won.**

 **Of course, that means a new poll is up, and it's something that I've been wondering for a while. I'm well aware that this series is extremely popular whether it being through word of mouth or the number of favorites and follows or what other people say about it on other sites. Why? What is it about this story that appeals to you guys the most? I'd love it if you guys would tell me.**

 **See you all on October 5! Thanks for all of the reviews and support!**

 **Chapter 11: The Water Pokemon Tournament: Part Two**

 _Will Ash Be a bit too friendly to someone and will Serena get jealous?_

 ** _I guess it depends on what you mean by "too friendly"._**

 _Are mythical human animal hybrids like harpies and mermaids in this story?_

 ** _No._**

 _Which of Ash's Pokemon will possibly evolve this arc?  
_

 ** _It wouldn't be any fun if I spoiled that. You all just saw Serena's evolution in this chapter so hopefully it will tide you over until the next one._**

 _With Serena possibly getting a Fennekin earlier, could the same be said about Froakie for Ash?_

 ** _Eh...probably not. The only reason Serena may get Fennekin earlier is because it's her signature and first Pokemon. As awesome and cool as it is, the same just can't be said about Ash and Froakie._**

 _Will the Water Tournament be similar to the Whirl Cup?_

 ** _Yes, but with that being said, the Whirl Cup will be very different in this series. It may not just consist of Pokemon battling. ;)_**

 _Do you plan on having Pikachu learn Volt Tackle?_

 ** _Yes, but not until later in the series (possibly Hoenn). For now, it has Wild Charge instead which will upgrade to Volt Tackle._**

 _Is Leaf still leaving midway through the arc?  
_

 _ **I actually changed my mind about that. I couldn't find a suitable reason for her leave the group she is currently traveling with so as of now, she's probably staying all throughout Orange Islands. Don't expect it for Johto, though. She will definitely only be recurring through that arc.**_

 _Will the mystery champ only be mentioned by the Orange Crew or other places?  
_

 ** _If the mystery champ did something else worth mentioning in the Orange Islands, it will definitely be written down._**

 _Will Snorlax be Ash's only other Orange Islands catch?_

 ** _Yes._**

 _Will Alain be in this series?_

 ** _Definitely, but he isn't appearing until MUCH later on. (Sinnoh at the earliest)._**


	11. The Water Pokemon Tournament: Part Two

**A/N: Hey everyone. We've got an extremely battle heavy chapter which is why its so long. All of the Water Pokemon tournament battles crammed into one. I hope you all enjoy it!**

 **Edit: Seems some of you got a sneak peak at some of chapter 13. Whoops! Here's the REAL chapter 11**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 11: The Water Pokemon Tournament: Part Two

Misty was standing at the entrance tunnel to the huge stadium. Here it is. This was her first tournament that she was competing in which strictly used water Pokemon. She had no time to train or prepare her Pokemon today as she was scheduled to have the first match right at ten in the morning. She almost regretted spending so much time with Rudy yesterday. Well, maybe she didn't, but that still didn't mean she felt unprepared after seeing so many other people train throughout the day.

Misty cast a glance at her Pokegear and checked the time. It was five minutes to ten. In just a few short minutes, the announcer would shout the start of the competition before calling out the first competitors. Her friends had already wished her luck and were probably in their seats to cheer her on…along with Rudy. Misty took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She could do this. She already thought of which Pokemon she was going to use first, her trusty Starmie. Misty figured she might as well start out right with her first Pokemon.

It was really important to Misty that she did well. It especially meant a lot to her because Lorelei of the Elite Four would be present. Misty didn't really get a chance to show off her water-type Pokemon skills to her idol back in Victory Road due to the circumstances, but here, she could show what she could do. Hopefully…

Deciding to give her Pokemon a pep talk before the battle, Misty pulled out Starmie's pokeball and let out the star-shaped Pokemon. As soon as it was out, Starmie immediately snapped to attention to see what it was Misty needed. That was what the red-haired girl always appreciated about Starmie. It was always ready to do anything for her and required no urging whatsoever.

She knelt down and smiled at it. "Hey there, Starmie. I know this is pretty sudden because we haven't trained for it, but I'm going to need you lend me your strength for a while. This is the first water Pokemon tournament I'm competing in, and I'm trusting in you to start it. Can you do that?"

Starmie let out a cry and raised its two side arms into the air. Misty knew by now to know that Starmie was telling her not to worry. As her first Pokemon, it would get the job done. She could count on it!

Misty nodded her head. "Thanks, Starmie. I knew I could count on you," she said to it.

Yes. In just a few short minutes, she would start…

* * *

"How do you guys think Misty is doing right now?" Serena asked from beside the others as they all sat in the stadium.

The truth was, they all felt rather lucky with being able to sit next to each other like this. The stadium was absolutely packed. Every single seat had to be filled. They were thankful they got there rather early.

"She did look confident in her skills as a trainer, but I think this is a large step for her so she's kind of nervous," Ash answered in a rare moment of insight towards Misty.

The way she was acting sort of reminded him of when he was about to enter the Pokemon League. He was really confident in his abilities as a Pokemon trainer, but he knew the other trainers there were really good, too. They had defeated all eight gym leaders just like he did. Here, the qualifications weren't demanding at all, but it would naive to think there weren't some truly talented water trainers just like Misty.

It was one of the reasons Ash wasn't competing. He would much rather try out tournaments that used all of his Pokemon. Besides, he was doing the Orange Island League right now and didn't want anything to distract him from that, including this tournament. He was halfway done already and really wanted to use this time to train all of his Pokemon rather than just use Wartortle, Kingler, and possibly Lapras this week. As Ash looked around the stadium, he did feel a type of strangeness at just being a spectator this time, though.

"I think Misty will be just fine," Tracey stated with his arms folded. Surprisingly, he didn't have his sketchbook out and would be fine simply watching the battles this time. According to him, he claimed it was to give his arm a break. The others weren't so sure. They thought it might have something to do with Lorelei being there, and he could focus on her. Though a lot more mellow than Brock, Tracey could be rather girl crazy himself if one were to look at a few of his sketches…

Leaf wasn't saying much. She was leaned over forward with her head resting on her palm. She was thinking about which Pokemon she should start off with in this tournament. Though she wasn't the first battler like Misty was, her match was still early on so she didn't have too much time to prepare. That being said, she didn't want to be rude and miss Misty's first match. Leaf wasn't close to Misty like Ash and Serena, but she still knew that she was their good friend and would support her, too.

"Still do you think Misty will be able to pull it off since she didn't train yesterday? She spent all of that time with Rudy," Serena said somewhat worriedly.

"As Tracey said, this is Misty we're talking about. She's never been one to back down. This type of tournament would be her playground," Ash replied.

As the group thought about that, they were brought back to attention by a loud voice ringing over the megaphones.

"Welcome, everyone to our largest water Pokemon tournament of the year! We had a great turnout with one hundred twenty-eight competitors and over five thousand spectators! Now, I want to remind all of you that his is a single Pokemon and single elimination tournament. The one Pokemon you choose to use in the match is very crucial," the announcer said as the crowd broke into cheers once more.

"That's right. This is single elimination," Serena muttered with a sigh.

"What's up, Serena?" Ash asked her.

"Slowking would be the ideal Pokemon to use all throughout the tournament. Still, if I only used it, that wouldn't be very fair to Omanyte or Poliwag when they have a chance to shine here, too," Serena answered.

"I get it. They don't have a lot of battle experience and may pale in comparison to stronger and more experienced water-types," Ash nodded.

Before Serena could confirm her worries, the announcer rang out again.

"Now I would like you to all hold onto your seats as we begin! Let's bring out our judge for this year's tournament, Lorelei of the Elite Four!" he introduced.

The group didn't think the roaring of the crowd could get any louder, but it just did. They stood up in their seat to get a better a look. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the water and ice Pokemon expert, Lorelei, walked slowly onto the field. From what the group could tell, she had a rather aloof look on her face. It was almost as if she didn't hear the roaring of the crowd around her. Ash and Serena smiled as she was just like they remembered from Victory Road. Like water, she was one to just go with the flow.

Lorelei continued her way across the field where the muscular Nurse Joy was waiting. They shook hands and hugged before making their way over to the judges' seats. A few people were actually leaning over the podium and shouting down to Lorelei in an attempt to get her to notice them. It must have worked as Lorelei looked up and gave a small smile to them before sitting down with Nurse Joy. She and Nurse Joy then gave a nod to signify they were ready.

Ash and Serena briefly wondered if Lorelei would remember them once she saw Misty and Serena in the tournament. It wasn't every day you take someone to meet Moltres. It would be nice if they had a chance to speak with her during this time. It could be rather hard, though, due to the constant amount of fans she had here.

"Alright, everyone! Our judges appear to be ready! With that, please give a huge applause for our first competitors, Misty Waterflower and John Black!"

Once more, everyone began cheering loudly as they waited for the battlers to appear. As the group saw Misty come in through her side, they began cheering loudly. They doubted she would be able to notice them due to the crowd, but it didn't matter. They were still here for her.

Misty's eyes widened as she left the darkness of the tunnel and entered into the light of stadium. It was rather overwhelming that she was in the center of this many people. She now knew how Ash felt during his first Pokemon League battles. How could he make it through so much pressure? Misty then chanced a look to her left and saw Lorelei looking at her. There appeared to be a flash across the young woman's glasses before she returned to a lazy smile and faced forward.

Well, that confirmed it for Misty. If the name wasn't enough, Lorelei definitely appeared to recognize Misty due to her appearance. Well, that made it harder for Misty now that her idol was watching her. She then shook her head of these thoughts. This was a water Pokemon tournament! No need to be nervous. Her Starmie appeared to ready, and so was she!

She then looked around at all of the people cheering around her. She couldn't see them, but she knew all of her friends were up there. Rudy and Mahri told Misty exactly where they would try to sit during her matches, in the very front. That was still a long margin, but she also knew they would prefer her to focus on the match rather than try to find them.

Misty herself saw the battle field was rather large. It wasn't quite as big as the one at the Indigo Plateau, but still impressive. There was even a large pool that took up a large portion of the field for the Pokemon to use. It shouldn't be a surprise though as this was a water Pokemon tournament.

"If the trainers will please choose the Pokemon they will use this round, we can get underway!" the announcer stated.

Misty then reached to her belt and released Starmie from its pokeball. It spiraled through the air before landing in the water with a splash to relax itself for the battle. The boy known as John also chose his Pokemon. He opened up his ball to reveal a Tentacruel. The Tentacruel likewise landed into the pool before folding its tentacles as if it were folding its arms. Misty made a mental note about her opponent. Tentacruel were tough and could have some pretty long ranged attacks. Starmie should be able to handle it, though.

"Okay, everyone. With that, let's get ready for the first battle and see what all of these water Pokemon are made of. The match will start at the sound of Lorelei's whistle!" the announcer finished.

All eyes then returned to Lorelei who already had a whistle in her mouth. She gave a glance at each of the competitors to make sure they looked ready. Misty took another deep breath and cleared her head. She's got this. Lorelei then faced forward before blowing her whistle, and the match began.

"Okay, Starmie! Let's start things off with you getting into the water and using Camouflage!" Misty called.

Starmie leaped into the air and spun into the water and disappeared before the surprised Tentacruel and boy had time to react. Tentacruel then narrowed its eyes and searched around for Starmie but could find nothing. After the order from its trainer, it then began shooting Poison Stings all throughout the pool in an effort to hopefully hit the camouflaged Pokemon.

"You can't hit Starmie that way!" Misty smirked before yelling, "Use Swift and then a spinning Tackle, Starmie!"

As soon as Misty made the order, many star shaped bits of energy flew out of the water and struck Tentacruel in its soft upper body. The star-shaped Pokemon then spun out of the water and slammed into Tentacruel, pushing the jellyfish Pokemon back a little bit before coming around for another smack, pushing it back even further.

"Hooray, Starmie!" Misty cheered.

"Use Water Pulse!" the boy called John ordered.

The Tentacruel launched the orb-shaped stream of water at Starmie, but it easily spun out of the way. It then dodged another and another. It was doing quite well.

"Keep at it, Misty!" Serena cheered from the audience, even though she knew Misty couldn't hear her.

Ash himself had to admit that Misty was pretty good. He hadn't seriously battled with her once since the Cerulean gym a while back. He supposed he somehow forgot this is what Misty specialized in. She would probably make a really good training partner for some of his water Pokemon.

"Now use a Rapid Spin mixed with Water Gun!" Misty yelled.

Starmie began spinning around through the air very quickly. It then shot out streams of water from each of its tips, creating a spiral of water which continuously struck Tentacruel. Starmie then came in once again and struck Tentacruel again, but the jellyfish Pokemon had just about enough of that. As Starmie came in again, it glared.

"Use Acid Spray!" the boy yelled.

An excess amount of liquid shot out from Tentacruel and got all over Starmie. The star-shaped Pokemon gave a gasp of pain from the close range attack before falling back into the pool. This apparently was exactly where its opponent wanted it.

"Great, Tentacruel. Now use Sludge Wave to keep that Starmie from going anywhere!" John called.

Tentacruel then started spinning around in the water and began swamping the area with a huge amount of sludge. It was landing in different areas of the battle field, but mostly the pool. Eventually the pool had turned a disgusting dark purple color from the pollution. Starmie then appeared to be choking from the dirty water. It then tried to spin out of the pool, but all of the sludge was making it quite thick. Starmie was stuck, and it was poisoned on top of that.

"Oh, no! Starmie! Are you okay?" Misty cried out in worry.

"It looks like John turned the tides of this battle in the blink of an eye, folks! Starmie looks to be stuck in muck right now!" the judge commented.

"Since Starmie's poisoned, use Hex!" John yelled.

Tentacruel's eyes glowed dark blue for a moment before Starmie began glowing blue as well. It almost appeared to be a psychic-type attack despite being classified as a ghost-type move. The star-shaped Pokemon tensed up and would probably be screaming in pain if it had a face. All that appeared to come out; though, were pained cries. They were still reaching Misty's ears, though.

Misty put her hands to her mouth as she watched her trusty Starmie be in pain like this. Maybe she was being a little hasty and misunderstanding this Tentacruel's endurance. She was being quite aggressive this battle in her attacks which was how she was used to battling. Pokemon battling is about both defense and offense, though. There was no way she was about to lose the first round in front of her sisters, Rudy, and her other friends. This situation could be gotten out of. She just needed to play a little defensively, too.

"Okay, Starmie! Just wait for your chance and then use Water Gun around you!" Misty hollered.

Despite the great amount of pain it was in, Starmie began shooting water from its top at the slimy water around it. The water was quite thick before, but its Water Gun was slowly loosening up the gunk which would make it easier to get out of.

Upon seeing what was happening, John ordered another Sludge Wave to thicken the water again, but Starmie had already shot out of the water. It shook itself slightly to rid itself of the Hex and looked as good as new. It then curved its two side ends inwardly as if it were flexing its muscles.

"That's how we roll! Wait to go, Starmie!" Misty told it.

"Use Acid Spray again!" John yelled.

"Use Light Screen to help block it!" Misty countered, going defensive again.

A huge amount of acid once again made its way towards Starmie, but the star-shaped Pokemon held up its arms and a barrier of light formed around it. The spray slammed into the Light Screen but was just harmlessly splashing around it. That was when Misty decided to use the ace in her sleeve to end the match and take advantage of Tentacruel's part poison-type.

"Use Psychic, Starmie!" Misty called.

Starmie stretched its limbs out as much as they would go and shot out multiple beams of psychic energy from its red core. They traveled through the air before striking Tentracruel repeatedly. The jellyfish Pokemon cried out from pain as it continued to be pushed back. Knowing it couldn't recover so quickly from a super effective attack, Misty gave her finishing move.

"Rapid Spin one more time!" she called.

Starmie spiraled through the air and gave an extra hard slam to the dazed Tentacruel this time. It was knocked out of the water this time and landed with a big thud on the ground. The audience waited for a slight moment to see if Tentacruel would somehow get back up, but it never did. Lorelei then blew her whistle to signify the end of the match as the audience erupted into cheers.

"What a great way to start off our tournament, everyone! We've just had our first victory, and it goes to Misty and her Starmie. Let's hope for more great battles as we continue on!" the announcer yelled.

Misty gave a wide smile as Starmie flew back over to her and landed in her arms. She then rubbed its top point affectionately. She really pulled it off. She won her first match here with little trouble. All she had to do now was continue this streak, and she might have a chance. She was so glad all of her friends and family had seen this.

"Well, I've got to hand it to Misty, that was really well done," Tracey nodded.

"Yeah. She knew exactly what to do when her Starmie was in a bad situation. She really does know water Pokemon," Ash nodded.

"Chu!" Pikachu added at seeing one of its trainer's friends win.

"Let's go meet Misty and congratulate her!" Serena suggested as she and the others stood up from their seats and made their way around everyone to leave the stadium.

Misty then looked up from her Starmie to see if Lorelei would have any type of comment for her. Unfortunately, it looked like Lorelei had already left the judges' table and was exiting the arena. Misty stood sadly for a second at that. Her idol had clearly recognized her judging by that look from earlier, but right now she was acting quite indifferent. Then again, Misty supposed it would be a little selfish to think that Lorelei would show favoritism, but she was hoping to at least talk with her. Oh well. Maybe another time. With one last smile to her Starmie, Misty returned it to her pokeball and left the stadium herself.

* * *

Once she made it out, it came as no surprise the others were waiting for her with big smiles on their faces. Serena was the first to greet her friend as she ran over and gave Misty a big hug.

"Congratulations on you win, Misty! That was really good!" she told her.

"Thanks, Serena! I knew my Starmie wouldn't let me down!" Misty replied happily.

"It was really smart to wash away all of that muck and to save Psychic for last!" Leaf added.

"Ha! You haven't seen anything yet of what my water Pokemon can do!" Misty smirked, regaining her confidence.

"That was quite the battle, Misty. Marhi and I were right to cheer for you," a voice said behind her.

Misty spun around and saw none other than Rudy with a pleasant smile and Mahri grinning broadly. The little girl ran up to Misty and wrapped her arms around her waist in excitement.

"That was so cool, Misty! You never looked nervous and always looked exactly like you knew what you were doing! You're probably as good as my big brother!" she exclaimed.

"Oh. How nice. Thank you, Mahri," Misty smiled as she patted the girl's head.

"Misty, would do me the honor of joining my sister and me for a light victory lunch? My treat," Rudy offered as he held out his hand.

"Actually, I was planning on…," Misty trailed as she glanced over and saw her friends watching her in bewilderment.

"Ah. No worries. I understand completely. You want to spend some time with your friends. That's fine," Rudy noticed as he withdrew his hand and instead stuck it in his pocket.

"Oh no! I mean…why don't we all eat lunch together, and you can get more acquainted with everyone!" Misty said instead.

"That's okay? We wouldn't be intruding, would we?" Rudy asked as he looked at the others.

"Fine with me. Any friend of Misty's is a friend of mine. Besides, I can learn more about my next opponent in the Orange League," Ash shrugged.

"I see. I think you tried to mention that yesterday that you were competing. I will look forward to battle you when the time comes," Rudy said while crossing his arms.

"Anyway, let's go. That battling sort of made me build up an appetite," Misty intervened gently, trying to get the topic away from Ash's future match with Rudy.

"I know the perfect place to take all of you," Rudy stated before holding out his arm for Misty. "Shall we?"

"Of course," Misty replied as she took Rudy's arm. With that, the two began walking in front of the rest with Mahri bouncing after them not far behind.

"Wow. They sure are hitting it off," Ash muttered in surprise.

"It sort of reminds me of love at first sight," Serena added.

"Sort of like you had with Ash?" Leaf smirked knowingly.

Serena blushed but didn't hide it as it was true. "Yeah. Just like me."

The group then gave a questioning glance as they saw Rudy and Misty had exchanged their arm link to…holding hands. That was something new to them. Was Misty really this serious about Rudy? It almost made the group wonder what would happen when the two were forced to say goodbye again.

* * *

Lunch was rather monotonous for the group despite there being so many people. Ash and Tracey were the ones doing most of the talking and tried to include the others in their conversations, too, but were unsuccessful. Misty and Rudy were too busy talking to each other to notice anyone else, and Leaf and Serena were too busy thinking about their upcoming matches to become fully engaged in anything.

For Serena, it was mainly about the tough position she was in. She had a full team of water Pokemon now in Poliwag, Omanyte, and Slowking, but only Slowking was fit to battle. Poliwag was just caught and seemed to have an obedience problem, and Omanyte wasn't exactly the most active Pokemon…unless it came to clinging onto Serena's leg in which case it moved surprisingly fast. Serena would feel bad about only using her newly evolved Slowking when she could be helping her other water Pokemon train, too. Honestly, it was making her somewhat gloomy.

"Pika!" Pikachu suddenly cried at seeing who was approaching the table.

Everyone in the group was actually startled out of what they were doing at Pikachu's sudden outburst. They all turned to the side and gasped in astonishment. There stood Lorelei of the Elite Four. They couldn't believe she willingly just walked up to them like that! It appeared to get the attention of other people in the outside café as they all turned their heads to stare at the Elite Four beauty.

"Well, hello there, and how have you all been?" Lorelei asked with a friendly smile and folded her arms.

"Lorelei! It's you again! The pleasure is all mine! I still think you are the best Elite Four ever because you use water Pokemon like me! You're my idol!" Misty exclaimed, not caring if she looked silly in front of Rudy.

"How nice to say. You're Misty, correct?" Lorelei asked.

"Yes, and you remembered my name," Misty said with a contented sigh.

"I do. You battled rather splendidly in your last battle," Lorelei mentioned.

"Oh, thank you! I'm nowhere near as good as you, though! If I can even be half as good as you one day, that would be good enough for me!" Misty replied.

Lorelei gave a slight chuckle before addressing Rudy. "Hello, Rudy. How is Trovita Island?"

"It's great, Ms. Lorelei. Always a pleasure seeing you," Rudy responded with a light nod. The group figured they would be familiar with each other due to Rudy being a gym leader.

It was then Lorelei shifted her gaze to Ash. "I definitely remember you, Ash. You did exceedingly well in the Pokemon League. Being in the Top Four is no easy feat."

"Wait. You actually made it to the Top Four," Rudy asked, suddenly becoming interested in Ash. Mahri also turned wide-eyed to the raven-haired boy.

"Well, haha. Thanks. I've actually been training really hard while I'm here and have been competing in the Orange League," Ash told her.

"Ah, the Orange League. I'd say that it's my favorite league out of all of them. They really test the bond between trainer and their Pokemon," Lorelei nodded.

"Well, if you're in the Orange League, it might be interesting to battle you, after all," Rudy nodded to Ash.

Lorelei was about to address Serena until she noticed the expression on the young girl's face. She was definitely smiling up at the Elite Four member and was happy to see her, but behind her eyes was a hidden trouble. Being so insightful, Lorelei was able to pick up on it quite quickly. She gave a kind smile to Serena before speaking.

"Hello, sweetie. Is something the matter?" Lorelei asked her.

Serena frowned slightly as she wondered how she should answer. Yeah. Her situation about her water Pokemon was definitely bugging her, but she didn't realize she was that obvious. Then again, Lorelei was probably very smart and could tell a problem from a mile away. Well, Lorelei was an Elite Four member and would definitely know what to do.

"It's just…I'm competing in this tournament, too. I want to use a variety of Pokemon in this tournament, but a couple of them aren't…experienced with actual battles yet," Serena began, not knowing how else to put it.

Lorelei nodded her head to signal for Serena to continue.

"Only my Slowking would be good for actual battles in a tournament this competitive. I only just captured a Poliwag which has no battles under its belt, and my Omantye…it is too easily distracted and wouldn't focus on battling," Serena sighed.

"I see. You want to be fair to your Pokemon," Lorelei deduced.

"Well, I don't mean to sound selfish by saying I'm afraid of losing if I use them, but…," Serena tried, hoping not to come off that way.

"I know you aren't. You are just worried that your Omanyte and Poliwag aren't ready for this type of competition," Lorelei said before asking. "May I see your Omanyte?"

"Omanyte? Okay," Serena replied as she fished out Omanyte's pokeball and released it. "Come on out, Omanyte."

The red beam of energy materialized into Omanyte as the prehistoric Pokemon gave a small look around. As soon as it saw Serena, it gave the equivalent of a grin on its face and immediately jumped onto her leg and clung to it, looking quite satisfied. Serena chuckled at her Omanyte's affection before pulling it off of her leg and handing it to Lorelei.

The Elite Four member took Omantye from Serena's hands and began to tenderly stroke its shell. Omanyte gave a contented sigh at Lorelei's soothing touch.

"You're a cutie," Lorelei smiled at Omantye

As soon as she said that, Omanyte hopped out of Lorelei's hands and instead clung to her leg for a change. The group and even Pikachu and Togepi got a nervous look on their face upon seeing this. Omanyte had no discrimination at all with who it decided to literally stick to.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Ms. Lorelei," Serena apologized as she pried Omanyte from Lorelei's leg and blushed in embarrassment. Despite the incident, Lorelei didn't seem to mind. In fact, she smiled.

"Your Omanyte is very affectionate," Lorelei commented.

"Yeah. It is," Serena agreed before sighing. "It would just rather cling to people than battle. I wouldn't want it to get overwhelmed."

"Tell me, Serena. Have you ever battled with Omanyte before?" Lorelei asked her.

"I have once. I used it when I officially caught my Cubone," Serena replied as she recalled the memory.

"How was Omanyte in the battle?" Lorelei continued.

"It did really well. I was able to capture Cubone," Serena answered.

"I mean…how was its attitude during the battle?" Lorelei elaborated.

Serena looked down at her Omanyte who stared back at her. That was a really good question. If she recalled, it had actually been quite eager to battle. It was a side of Omanyte Serena had never known before. Until then, the only thing it seemed to do was lovingly cling to her if it was around. When she mentioned to it that she would use it to battle Cubone, it was quite excited. Was she misjudging her own Pokemon's willingness to battle just because of its habits?

"It...was actually wanting to battle Cubone," Serena replied slowly.

"I see," Lorelei smiled before continuing. "I, of course, can't make decisions for you, Serena, but maybe she should try to use Omanyte for your first battle. It may surprise you."

"I want to agree with Lorelei, Serena," Ash jumped in beside her. "You'll never know Omanyte's true battle strengths if you don't use it. Even the most unlikely Pokemon for battle has it in them. Remember your Cubone and how well it did for its first battle against the Chatelaines?"

Serena recalled that memory and smiled to herself. She was so proud of her Cubone that day. The little Pokemon had officially decided to grow up just a couple of days before. Despite having no experience before, it still battled with everything it had and was able to defeat them along with Charla. It was doing it for Serena and not itself. Wasn't that why Pokemon battled in the first place? Omantye should be no different. Just because it didn't seem to have the attitude to battle didn't mean it couldn't. Serena then looked back to Lorelei and nodded its head.

"Thank you, Lorelei. I think I'll give it a shot," Serena told her. "I believe in Omanyte."

"That's wonderful to hear," Lorelei smiled.

"Did you hear that, Omanyte?" Serena asked as she faced it. "I'm thinking about using you in my first battle in the tournament. Can I count on you?"

Omanyte closed its eyes and bobbed happily in Serena's arms to signal that it was ready. Serena smiled in response and hugged her Pokemon to show her appreciation. Lorelei was right. Serena needed to believe in the will of all of her Pokemon to fight. She believed in Cubone, and now she could believe in Omanyte, also. Serena then tried to break that hug, but it seemed Omanyte had enjoyed it too much. Serena found she was unable to break away as the spiral Pokemon had latched its tentacles onto her arms.

The group couldn't help but get a good laugh out of Omanyte's antics.

* * *

It was now Serena's turn in the water Pokemon tournament. Leaf had gotten through her first match, as well. Serena had to win, also. She had been thinking about what Lorelei had told her earlier that day. Should she really go with Omanyte? It showed her that it would be willing to battle, and wouldn't that be enough? If she used Slowking too much, it might get worn out because it had only evolved recently.

"Alright, fans! We will now begin our next match between Serena and Veronica! If the earlier matches are any indication, we can really expect to see an exciting battle! The trainers should now choose their Pokemon to begin!" the announcer stated.

The girl known as Veronica threw her pokeball out and revealed a Seadra. It landed in the pool and waited in anticipation to see who its opponent would be. Serena stared apprehensively at the Seadra in front of her. The good news was that Seadra wasn't a dual-type so she shouldn't expect any surprises, but she could definitely use Slowking and have an advantage with its psychic attacks, but what if all of her opponents used dual-types after this? When could she use her Poliwag and Omanyte, who was also a dual-type?

Staring at Omantye's pokeball, Serena took a deep breath before turning to Lorelei. It appeared that Lorelei was looking at her with quite a bit of indifference. It was probably important that Lorelei looked like that, but Serena was also wondering if Lorelei had a hidden look that was calculating if she would follow her advice or not. Looking at Omayte's pokeball one last time, Serena threw it.

"Go, Omanyte!" she yelled.

The pokeball opened up to reveal her first Pokemon. Omanyte soon materialized from the pokeball. Omanyte was facing away from Serena, but she gave a nod to it anyway, knowing it was as ready as she was. That was when she noticed the audience's expressions. Why were people looking on in confusion and disapproval? Lorelei seemed a bit in wonder herself as she was rubbing her chin with her fist. Serena stared strangely at her opponent and everyone around her before looking back at Omanyte. Wait a minute. It wasn't even moving. Serena then inched her way to the side and peaked over to get a look at Omantye's face.

There was a huge snot bubble that was coming from Omantye's face, inflating and deflating in tune to its breathing. Its eyes were closed and seemed to have a content look on its face. It was fast asleep and showed no signs of waking up! How embarrassing!

"It…it looks like Omanyte is taking a nap!" the announcer exclaimed. "Talk about bad timing on Serena's part!"

"No! Omanyte! You can't sleep at a time like this! Wake up!" Serena cried to the spiral Pokemon.

Omanyte apparently was out like a light as even the cries of Serena and murmuring of the crowd wasn't reaching its ears. It continued to breathe softly in the bliss of dreamland. Serena couldn't believe this! Her Omanyte had proved to her that it wanted to battle, and now it was going to be asleep in her first match ever with it?!

Serena looked pleadingly at the referee as if asking if she could make a switch. He sadly shook his head. Serena frowned in worry and embarrassment that it was her responsibility as a trainer to make sure her Pokemon were fit to battle right before a match. Her last interaction with Omanyte had been a few hours ago when she was talking to Lorelei. The spiral Pokemon had plenty of time to fall asleep during this time. Serena didn't know what to do! She had never been in this situation before.

"Aw man. Poor Serena," Ash muttered as he watched the scene from the stands. He couldn't imagine what this must feel like. If any of his Pokemon ever took a nap in the middle of a battle, he would be really upset.

"This must be horrible for her," Leaf added with Tracey and Misty nodding their heads in agreement.

Pikachu, Togepi, and Cubone were perched on the stands and looking on. It had been a while since Cubone had watched Serena battle, and it was eager to see what she had been doing since she left for the Orange Islands. This was its first time with her here, and now she was being let down by the Omanyte. Cubone had never been particularly fond of the spiral Pokemon because of its tendency to show too much affection to Serena, but it was pretty aggravated with it right now. It thought of throwing a Bonemerang at Omanyte's head to wake it up, but that would just cause problems, and Cubone had grown past that.

"Omanyte! Please! Wake up!" Serena cried again.

"I'm sorry, but we have to get on with the match to avoid a delay in the tournament," the referee sighed before turning to Lorelei to signal to blow the whistle

Serena looked back in worry at Omanyte who was still sound asleep. This would be her first chance to try to use her Omanyte in battle, and she was blowing it. She didn't even have an Awakening handy. The only choice she had would be if Omanyte woke up on its own.

Lorelei blew her whistle, and the match began.

Seadra didn't waste any time in speeding towards its opponent. The girl known as Veronica felt a little guilty about attacking a helpless Pokemon, but she still had a battle to win. It was the other girl's fault anyhow. She ordered her Seadra to use Water Gun to push Omanyte in the pool where it would be most vulnerable, which it did. Despite the water hitting it and now being submerged in the pool, Omanyte was still asleep. Just how heavy a sleeper was that thing? It was almost like it was in sleep status rather than just a nap.

Seadra then charged and rammed into Omanyte as hard as it could. The spiral Pokemon was knocked backwards again and again. It was taking damage and not even knowing about it. Omanyte would end up fainting in its sleep at this rate.

Serena didn't know if this was the most she had ever been embarrassed, but this time was definitely up there. She looked absolutely pathetic in front of everyone here. In front of Togepi and Cubone, in front of Lorelei, in front of Leaf, Misty, and Tracey, in front of Ash. She knew her friends wouldn't think badly of her for this and weren't blaming her, but she couldn't change how she felt. She could've done a lot more for her Omanyte to prepare it for the match, but she squandered that opportunity, and now she was paying the price.

She turned back to the scene and found it painful just to watch. Omanyte was constantly being knocked around by Seadra and showed no signs it was any closer to being awake. Serena sank to her knees and looked at the ground while having a single tear roll down her cheek. Great. Now she was even looking pathetic like this, but should she be? As a Pokemon trainer, shouldn't she be cheering on her Pokemon no matter what? She had to believe in it, didn't she? This wasn't the first time a seemingly hopeless situation had turned out for the better. This could be turned around. She had to believe in Omanyte. The spiral Pokemon told her that it would battle, and she should believe it. If only it could wake up…

As Omanyte was getting beat up in its sleep, it felt a strange sort of conscience in the back of its mind. It wasn't its own, but someone else's. Maybe its trainer? The conscience was pleading for it to wake up, but it didn't know if it wanted to at the moment. It was so content with being asleep. So cozy. Well, its body appeared to be hurting, but its mind was cozy. Well, it would be if the other conscience would go away. How was it here anyway? How was its trainer's mind linking with its own right now? It vaguely recalled her mentioning she had psychic powers. Is that how? Wait. Didn't it say something earlier about wanting to fight for its trainer? Isn't that what it should be doing? That's right!

Omanyte sleepily opened its eyes and was met with Seadra speeding straight for it, and here it was taking a nap. It needed to fight back if it was to win for its trainer. Omanyte didn't know what heck had woken it up, but it was glad it did now. It shook off its grogginess and immediately swam off to the side just before Seadra collided into it. The Seadra was apparently surprised by this and wasn't able to change its direction in time and ended up crashing face first into the side of the pool.

"Oh!" Veronica gasped at seeing that, along with some of the crowd cringing at the apparently painful collision

Serena stared in astonishment for a second that Omanyte had woken up. It hadn't done so due to pleading, but just for moment, she felt her conscience linked with Omantye's. Had her psychic powers awoken and helped her do that? She would think about that later, but right now, she had a battle win!

"Great, Omanyte! Use Ancient Power!" Serena called.

The Seadra turned around angrily at Omanyte for doing that and clearly had a bruised snout. It didn't have much time to charge again, though, as several rocks were forming around it before smashing into it and sending it spiraling through the air.

"And Omanyte miraculously wakes up and tries to turn around this battle. Now we can expect some great excitement!" the announcer commented.

Serena took a quick glance from Omanyte to see Lorelei's expression. The Elite Four member wasn't looking at her, but there did appear to be some sort of small smile on her face. It turned out that she was right, after all. She then turned towards Omanyte to issue her next command.

"Okay, Omanyte. Now use Rock Blast!" she yelled.

"Use Water Gun and propel yourself away from that!" Veronica called to her Seadra.

Seadra recovered from the earlier Ancient Power and shot a Water Gun inside the pool and used the force to push itself out of the way of Omanyte's Rock Blast. It then used Bubble Beam on the pool which slowed its descent back until it was safely in the pool.

"Use Smokescreen in the water!" Veronica yelled next.

Seadra dove underwater and used Smokescreen which immediately began to cloud up the pool. Serena remembered Ash had a similar situation when he battled in the Indigo Pokemon League. There would be no way to tell where Seadra would pop up.

"Use Hydro Pump!" Veronica yelled.

Seadra burst out of water before charging up its snout and blasting out a huge amount of water. It collided into Omanyte with the force of a fire hose and shot it across the pool where it slammed into the wall. Seadra then retreated back underwater to hide again.

 _"Okay. What can I do in this situation? Omanyte is awake now so I need to think of something. Ash would no doubt look for a weakness in Seadra's strategy,"_ Serena thought to herself.

At that time, Seadra shot up from the water and delivered another Hydro Pump. Omanyte was pushed backwards and slammed again into the side of the pool. Its shell was helping to protect it, but it still hurt greatly.

Serena noticed something as Seadra went back underwater. It always had to charge up its snout before using Hydro Pump. That gave her a brief window of opportunity. It she could use Seadra's small hesitation to her advantage, she might have a chance to so some significant damage. It was then Serena realized she could probably stop Seadra's attack by having its attacking source stopped, its snout. It was so crazy it might actually work!

"Alright, Omantye. I want you to prepare your tentacles, and the second you feel movement beneath you, I want to you leap in that direction!" Serena told it.

Omanyte nodded at its trainer's words. It then waited for the time when it might get attacked next. It could feel Seadra's movements underneath it, but they weren't close enough to worry about yet. It was very patient by nature and could even take a nap while it waited, but it knew better now. Falling asleep was the last thing it wanted to do for its trainer right now. It then waited for about another ten seconds before the movement became close again. The water around then began to feel rushed. Despite the murkiness, Omanyte knew Seadra was coming. It then leaped in the direction where it felt the most movement. Seadra came out of the water a second later to shoot Hydro Pump, but Omanyte and Serena were prepared this time.

"Wrap your tentacles around Seadra's snout!" Serena yelled.

Omanyte did as told and closed its tentacles around Seadra's snout, completely stopping the attack. Everyone let out a slight gasp of surprise at the strange but effective tactic. Seadra now had no way to release the attack it had already started. It began to struggle and swim around by slamming Omanyte into a series of walls, but the spiral Pokemon held on tight, receiving minimal damage from its protective shell.

Eventually, the pressure was starting to build up inside of Seadra, and it started to feel dizzy. It was trying its hardest to get Omanyte off of it, but Omanyte held firm. It wasn't too hard for it to keep hold as Omanyte was literally a clingy Pokemon by nature. Seadra soon started to swell up, and Serena decided to finally put Seadra out of its misery.

"Okay, Omanyte. Let go!" Serena shouted.

Omanyte did as told and released Seadra before dropping back in the pool to watch. As soon as it let go, and giant burst of water shot out of Seadra's snout, sending it all over the place. The sudden loss of pressure and power started taking its toll on Seadra who began to get weaker and weaker. It was shooting around the stadium at a high speed due to all the water that had accumulated in it.

"Oh, Seadra," Veronica mumbled as she watched.

Finally, the last few bits of water stopped, and Seadra fell all the way down and into the pool, creating a large splash. As everyone waited, it soon floated to the surface on its back, clearly knocked out.

"We have a winner! Seadra is unable to battle. That means victory goes to Serena and Omanyte!" the referee declared as Lorelei blew her whistle.

"What a turnaround, folks! What began as a sleepy start for Omanyte ended up in victory! Way to make a comeback!" the announcer declared.

"Hey, Ash. I could imagine you making a strategy like that. I wonder where Serena gets it from," Leaf said to him.

"Heheheh. Well, she does watch me train a lot," Ash replied in embarrassment.

Pikachu, Cubone, and Togepi cheered loudly for Serena. The lonely Pokemon was especially excited. That dopey Omanyte actually came through for her. Maybe it wasn't as annoying as Cubone originally thought. It was so happy Serena won.

Serena herself was happy. She ran forward to Omanyte and picked it up to give it a big hug.

"I'm proud of you, Omanyte! Way to battle! That was great!" Serena told it.

Omanyte bobbed happily in Serena's arms before it leaped up and clung onto Serena's face in its excitement, completely obscuring it. The group let out nervous chuckles at Omanyte's habit. Serena didn't appear to mind as she was too happy for her Pokemon. She could let it slide this time though she was still trying to pry Omanyte off of her face through her joyful laughter.

* * *

A few days had passed, and the competing girls had actually managed to make it quite far in the tournament. They had each won six battles so far and were all in the semifinals. Serena had already won her previous battle with her Slowking. She actually found the dual type Slowking had to be very useful. It had gotten her quite far, and she was even able to use Omanyte again and win. Though she wanted to use Poliwag, everyone did agree that she hadn't bonded appropriately with it yet to try a tournament like this, and it was still quite unruly.

Currently, Leaf and Misty were in a heated battle so far. Leaf was using her Dewgong while Misty was using her Gyarados. They were pretty evenly match and had easily been the toughest opponents each had faced so far. Both Pokemon were showing signs of fatigue but not ready to give up yet.

"Dewgong! Use Aqua Ring to help restore yourself!" Leaf yelled to the sea lion Pokemon.

"Don't let them do that, Gyrados! Use Aqua Tail!" Misty countered.

Gyarados slammed its large tail in the pool making quite a splash and disrupting Dewgong's Aqua Ring. Being such a large Pokemon, Gyarados definitely had the advantage in raw power and endurance. The drawback, however, was that it was a very easy target, and there was nowhere it could hide. It would be out in the open at all times.

"Use Aurora Beam!" Leaf shouted.

"Dewgong poked its head out of the choppy water and used its horn to shoot a multicolored beam at Gyarados. The atrocious Pokemon let out a yell of pain before using its large serpent body for a Body Slam. Dewgong quickly dove back in the water to avoid this, but it proved rather futile as Gyarados almost took up the whole pool. Almost all of the water seemed to splash out once it hit.

Misty chuckled a little nervously in embarrassment that Gyarados was splashing out so much water and even spraying the audience in the lowest levels on occasion. It couldn't really be helped, though. It was actually one of the reasons this would probably be her first and last time to use Gyarados in the tournament, but she needed to let Staryu and Starmie rest. Misty briefly thought about what it would've have been like if she used Psyduck or Shellder. Would they have taken her by surprise and done really well? Misty shook herself of those thoughts and focused back on the battle.

"Ice Beam, and then Horn Attack!" Leaf shouted.

Dewgong once more popped up from the water and used Ice Beam. The frozen beam sailed through the air and struck Gyarados once again, causing it to roar in pain. It then shot up from the water before stabbing its horn in the atrocious Pokemon's midsection before arcing back into the water to hide again.

"Leaf's doing really well despite the size disadvantage between her Dewgong and Misty's Gyarados," Ash said as he watched.

"Yeah. I guess traveling in all sorts of places made her adapt to different types of situations," Serena agreed.

 _"No matter what my Gyarados does, Dewgong keeps getting away. Well, if I can't get Gyarados to Dewgong, I can bring Dewgong to it!"_ Misty thought.

"Try Aqua Ring again!" Leaf called.

"Not so fast! Use Twister, Gyarados!" Misty shouted.

A violent wind soon whipped up around Gyarados before going towards the water. The water then began to spiral around and lift higher into the air until a water spout was formed. It ascended higher and higher until it had sucked up a lot of the water. It wasn't long before Dewgong came spiraling out into the Twister, also.

"Oh, poor Dewgong," Leaf muttered in sadness at seeing her Pokemon in a bad situation. Despite this, she still put on a firm expression. "Use Ice Beam to freeze that Twister!"

"Use Hyper Beam!" Misty yelled.

Dewgong began to quickly use Ice Beam all around it to get better control of where it was going, but upon seeing Gyarados launch a Hyper Beam faster than it was expecting, it had do change strategy. It quickly refocused its Ice Beam at the Hyper Beam seeing little other options. However, the Hyper Beam easily overpowered the rival beam and smashed though the parts of the Twister that Dewgong had already frozen. The attack struck, and the sea lion Pokemon was blasted clean out of the Twister and onto the ground, creating an explosion.

"Dewgong?" Leaf asked in worry.

The smoke cleared to reveal Dewgong on its side. It was panting heavily before going limp, clearly knocked out. At that, the referee brought down his flags, and Lorelei blew her whistle.

"Dewgong is unable to battle! The winner is Gyarados and Misty!" the judge declared.

"What an intense fight, folks! Dewgong's strategy of hiding just couldn't seem to do it for Gyarados' raw power!" the announcer exclaimed.

Leaf ran onto the field and gingerly lifted her Dewgong's head off the ground. The sea lion Pokemon opened its eyes and smiled sadly at its trainer, which Leaf returned. She was disappointed, but she was still satisfied with how well she did.

"Hey there, Dewgong. You did wonderful. I'm proud of you," she whispered before giving it a quick hug and returning it to her pokeball. She then looked up and saw Misty affectionately rubbing her Gyarados' head and laughing joyously. Leaf couldn't help but smile at the scene.

"Misty really is a good water Pokemon trainer," she said to herself before turning to leave the stadium.

* * *

Nighttime had now fallen over Mandarin Island South. Tomorrow would be the last day of the tournament, and it would be between Misty and Serena. The two girls had battled and trained very hard to get here, and now it was paying off. Everyone was around a small fire and simply chatting before going to sleep that night.

Misty had her new Poliwag out of its pokeball right now. The Pokemon was in her lap as she happily petted it which it loved. Now that the group thought about it, Misty sure had her Poliwag out a lot since she caught it. It was the epitome of sweetness, quite unlike the Poliwag that Serena caught. If Serena let it out right now, the Poliwag would most likely wander off to find mischief.

"So Serena? Are you planning on using Slowking again for your battle with Misty?" Ash asked from beside her. Misty also looked up from her Poliwag as she was curious what Serena would use, as well.

"Yeah. I'm going with Slowking. I am going against Misty, after all," Serena responded with a gesture towards the redhead. "I have to use my strongest water Pokemon against her."

Slowking had indeed proved to be a very powerful Pokemon in the past few days, and it was pretty smart, too. It was hard to believe that Slowking couldn't comprehend anything at all before it evolved if one were to judge how it was now. It knew quite a lot of useful psychic attacks which were very helpful. It was also really bulky and had great endurance. Since Slowking was part psychic-type, Serena briefly toyed with the idea of being able to talk with Slowking via telepathy when she learned to fully control her own psychic powers. She had a lot things she wanted to ask it.

"In that case, I'll have to use my best Pokemon, too!" Misty jumped in. "I'm using Starmie!"

"It's going to be a battle between two dual water and psychic type Pokemon. That's sure to be interesting," commented Leaf.

"For someone who spends a lot of time with their Poliwag, I'm surprised you haven't battled with it yet," Ash stated to Misty, changing the topic.

"Of course not! This Poliwag is just so precious! I can't battle with it just yet!" Misty replied before cooing, "Isn't that right, Poliwag!"

"Poliiiii!" it cried happily.

"I bet Togepi and your Poliwag would get along well together," Serena said as she set down Togepi who walked towards Misty and Poliwag.

Misty likewise set down Poliwag, and it immediately waddled towards Togepi who began laughing in excitement. The two Pokemon didn't really appear to be talking about anything and just enjoying each others' presence. They were soon joined by Pikachu and Cubone, and the four Pokemon soon formed a small circle before sitting down to converse. Cubone was happy to be back in the group for right now, no matter how brief. It was rather cute.

Serena gave a sideways glance at her own Poliwag's pokeball. Would it be a good idea to let it out, too? The other Pokemon were having a good time, but she didn't want Poliwag to cause trouble. Maybe that was a little unfair as she didn't know much about Poliwag yet. Deciding to chance it, she released it from her pokeball so see how it would react with the band of four brother Pokemon before it.

Serena's Poliwag gave a tired yawn due the late hour and fluttered its eyes open. It then went over to the group and forcefully squeezed in between Cubone and Pikachu to their slight annoyance, but more so to Cubone. Nevertheless, they rolled their eyes before continuing to talk. Things seemed to be going well until Serena's Poliwag gave an apparently annoying comment as it burst out laughing while no one else did. Pikachu sighed and slapped the offending Poliwag away though it didn't seem to mind and kept laughing. It then muttered something else, and tick marks seemed to form on Pikachu and Cubone's heads before they got up and started chasing the Poliwag all around the fire, who seemed to love every second of it.

The group sweat dropped but had no idea what the Poliwag was saying that was irritating Pikachu and Cubone so much, but this was for sure. Serena's Poliwag sure seemed to like stirring up trouble. It wasn't particularly a jokester like Misty's Shellder or dull-witted like Psyduck. It wasn't mischievous like Serena's Eevee or angry like Scyther or Fearow were once before. Only one description fit Serena's Poliwag.

It was an absolute troll.

* * *

"Ladies and gentleman. We are at the final match of the tournament, and things are about to get underway! We have Serena Gabena and Misty Waterflower competing for the title! Only one of them can be called a true master of water-type Pokemon, though!" the announcer shouted in excitement.

A roar of the crowd erupted into the stadium as they all eagerly awaited the final match today. Misty and Serena were standing on opposite sides of each other filled with determination. They each knew which Pokemon their opponent would use so there would be no surprises. They had also seen these Pokemon battle before and knew what to expect from them. That could work both for and against their favor. Despite this, this battle would be all about knowledge, and they were going to prove they had plenty of it.

 _"Here we go! I can't lose! Rudy and my sisters are watching me, and this will take me one step closer to my dream!"_ Misty thought.

 _"I've really come a lot closer to Omanyte and Slowking than I thought possible during this week. We're going to pull though together by winning this tournament!"_ Serena thought.

"Alright! Misty calls…Starmie!" Misty yelled before throwing her pokeball to reveal the star-shaped Pokemon.

"I'll choose…Slowking!" Serena also yelled before throwing her own pokeball.

Both Pokemon crouched down and stared at each other, ready to win the tournament. Slowking didn't have a trace of a vacant expression on its face as it watched it opponent. Starmie didn't have a face, but one could tell it was determined and ready, too, by its stance.

"This is going to be a great Pokemon match. I bet the Cerulean City gym has nothing like this," Ash commented to Leaf and Tracey, remembering his own battle against Misty in the Cerulean gym a long time ago. He had managed to win, but Misty was also a lot better now just like he was. He sort of wondered what the outcome would be if he and Misty were to have a match now.

"Okay! This one is for the championship! You may start at the sound of Lorelei's whistle!" the referee shouted.

Lorelei put the whistle in her mouth as she prepared to blow it. She was rather impressed that the two girls she met a while back on Victory Road would be the finalists. Then again, maybe it wasn't too surprising. One would know they were special just because of the fact the situation they found themselves in on Victory Road. Being approved to meet Moltres and the legendary bird even wanting to talk to one of them wasn't an everyday thing. With that, she blew the whistle, and the match began.

"Use Calm Mind!" started Serena.

"Use Cosmic Power!" Misty also shouted.

Starmie began to glow while Slowking began to look quite relaxed. Soon, they were done and looked better fit than before. Serena and Misty were each starting off the match by improving their Pokemon's stats. They knew that they wouldn't be able to take on their opponents as effectively as they originally were.

"Use Water Pulse!" Serena called.

"Counter that with Light Screen!" Misty yelled.

An orb of water shot out of Slowking's mouth and rushed towards the star-shaped Pokemon. Starmie threw up a glowing screen which caused the orb of water to bounce harmlessly off, but that didn't stop Serena.

"Use Zen Headbutt, Slowking!" Serena countered.

Slowking actually managed to leap into the air and shot forward a lot faster than one would think for such a heavy head. It easily passed through the Light Screen and crashed right into Starmie, knocking it back a few yards. It seemed Slowking did still have a few surprises since it was still new to the group. Serena was so happy for her Slowking with how good of a battler it was. It would also be interesting to see how it respond to Pokevision, but that was for another day.

"Use Swift, Starmie!" Misty called.

Starmie quickly recovered from the surprise attack and shot many star-shaped bit of energy at Slowking. However, Slowking merely tilted the shell on its head in the direction from which the energy was coming from. The bits bounced harmlessly off Slowking's helmet with it not receiving a bit of damage.

"Great, Slowking!" Serena encouraged.

"Get in the water and use Camouflage!" Misty yelled, changing tactics a little.

Starmie jumped into the water and immediately became invisible. Slowking quirked an eyebrow at this as it slowly looked over the water to find Starmie. It may be invisible, but it could still pick up on its movements with its psychic powers. There would be no way it could take it by surprise.

"Okay, Slowking. We can do this. Just keep track of Starmie with your mind," Serena told it.

Slowking nodded in response. That Starmie was pretty darn fast in the water, but it could still keep up with it. Aha! It appeared to be moving closer to the surface and would pop out right in front of it. Serena then saw Slowking crouch down to signal it was getting prepared to attack. In response, Serena was ready, too.

"As soon as Starmie appears, use Psychic!" Serena yelled

That was when both of them were surprised when Starmie actually appeared behind Slowking rather than in front of it. The royal Pokemon was too slow to turn around and attack with Psychic before Misty issued her next command.

"Use Power Gem!" she yelled.

A huge ray shot out of Starmie's center jewel before engulfing Slowking. The royal Pokemon attempted to shield itself from the attack with its crown, but it was in vain. Slowking was blasted off of the platform it was on and into the water. Despite being a part water-type, it still wasn't an excellent swimmer due to the crown weighing it down. It managed to make it to the platform before grabbing on and pulling itself out, but Starmie was already hiding it the water again.

"Are you okay, Slowking?" Serena asked. Upon receiving a nod, Serena then addressed Misty. "How was your Starmie able to do that?"

"You forget! My Starmie is part psychic-type, too. It was able to manipulate the energy around it to fool your Slowking of its position. It's not called the mysterious Pokemon for nothing!" Misty stated proudly.

"Well, we won't fall for that again! Will we, Slowking?!" Serena asked.

"It's not necessary!" Misty said before calling out, "Starmie! Get out and use Confuse Ray!"

"Disable!" Serena cried.

Starmie burst out of the water, and shot out a strange, pink beam from its jewel, but Slowking was ready. It quickly turned to the side and stuck its right index finger at Starmie. The beam passed over Slowking just as its finger glowed, signaling the attack was effective. Starmie immediately became immobilized and fell to the platform with a thud while Slowking got a dazed look on its face.

"Oh no!" both girls cried at seeing the predicament their Pokemon were in.

"And both Pokemon have become incapacitated for a few moments, folks! Starmie has been completely immobilized while Slowking decided to take a visit to a world of its own!" the judge announced.

"Wow. It's almost like this battle has come at a standstill until either Serena or Misty figure out how to get their Pokemon out of this situation," Tracey said while Ash and Leaf looked on intensely. They each had seen the two battle enough to know they'll think of something.

 _"Come on, Serena! Think! What would Ash do in this situation?!"_ Serena thought as she watched her Slowking wobble around, not even knowing where it was. When she first captured Slowking, her pokedex had told her that its ability was Oblivious and not Own Tempo which would have prevented the confusion. It was almost working against her right now.

Misty likewise was having her own thoughts about how Starmie could get out of its situation. The star shape Pokemon was unmoving, and didn't appear responsive to anything around it. Misty was glad she had ordered her Starmie to use Confuse Ray when it did. Otherwise, Slowking would've been free to attack it without any opposition which wouldn't have ended well.

Misty knew that calling out an attack to Starmie would do no good. What else did it have at its disposal? She was aiming to be a water Pokemon master so she should be able to do this! Misty then remembered Starmie's part psychic type again and how it helped her before. Maybe it could this time, too!

"Come on, Starmie! If you can't use your outside, use your inside to awaken that psychic power again!" Misty encouraged

Despite that, Starmie was still unmoving. About that time, Serena had figured out what she needed to do. She remembered how all the time Ash's Pokemon were afflicted by status conditions that a huge splash of water had cured them. It would probably work on confusion, as well! Slowking just needed a little awakening with a water, and this field was full of it!

"Slowking! If you can hear me, I need you to fall into the water!" Serena yelled.

Despite giving no verbal or facial expressions to show it heard Serena, Slowking began stumbling towards the pool in front it. It wasn't long before it ungracefully fell into the pool. Serena then waited and hoped it would be sooner rather than later. She knew Slowking wasn't in danger of drowning, but she also knew it didn't like the water as much as other water-types.

At seeing what Serena, was doing, Misty frantically looked over to her Starmie to see if it was doing anything. Unfortunately, Starmie remained motionless, still under control from Disable. That was a really powerful Disable attack if Starmie had remained immobilized for this long. If it didn't recover soon, she was going to lose! Misty then noticed the water becoming disturbed as she realized that Slowking must have snapped out of its confusion now. Any moment now, it would come out and attack, and Starmie would be helpless.

"Stamie!" Misty cried in worry.

Then to her great shock, Starmie's central jewel glowed. It had overcome Disable with the powers inside of it, after all. Misty smiled broadly but it was short lived as Slowking leaped out of the water. Misty would make sure to strike first, though.

"Use Rapid Spin!" Misty yelled.

Starmie began spinning extremely fast before flying straight for Slowking and striking it in its soft stomach. Slowking let out a gasp of pain at this and felt like the wind was knocked out of it, but it could still attack.

"Use Body Slam, Slowking!" Serena shouted.

Slowking grabbed Starmie with its short arms before it could get away. It then pointed Starmie to the ground and fell with all of its body weight. Starmie was slammed into the ground painfully with Slowking on top.

"What an intense match, everyone! Both Starmie and Slowking were able to break out of their respective predicaments! That's some great training on their parts !" the announcer complimented.

"Heh. I knew they would be able to do it," Ash smirked with his arms crossed.

"Start spinning around and flying through the air, Starmie!" Misty shouted.

With Slowking still on top of it, Starmie still managed to levitate off the ground and went in for a high powered spinning. Misty had probably never see it spin so fast in her life. Unfortunately for Slowking, the sudden turning was able to fling off Slowking and put it on a collision course with the wall of the stadium.

"Use Signal Beam!" Misty yelled next.

"Signal Beam?" Serena questioned, rather surprised that Starmie knew that move. Did Misty purposely keep attacks hidden like that?

Starmie shot a strange colored beam from its core which chased Slowking as it flew through the air. Slowking struck the edge of the wall and was immediately hit by Signal Beam, causing an explosion, and Slowking slumped to the ground.

"Use Psychic, Starmie!" Misty hollered.

"Use your Psychic, too, Slowking!" Serena countered.

Starmie flew right in front of Slowking and intended to hit it at point blank range for maximum power. Slowking saw this coming and stood up surprisingly quick for the large crown on its head. Both Pokemon unleashed massive psychic waves from their bodies. The two attacks met in midair and then began to compete. Both Pokemon began putting even more power in the attacks and began sweating from the intensity. They could hear their respective trainers cheering them on which only made them work harder.

Finally, there was explosion from the force of the attacks. Both Stamie and Slowking were blown backwards onto the ground from the attacks, bypassing the pool. Both Serena and Misty stared worriedly at their Pokemon as they struggled to get up. They had each taken a lot of damage. Once on their feet, the two Pokemon stared at each other with intense gazes.

"Starmie, how are you?" Misty asked in concern. Upon receiving a nod from Starmie, Misty smiled.

"Are you okay, too, Slowking?" Serena asked, too.

Serena then let out a gasp as Slowking then gave a gasp of pain before falling to the ground face first. It then tried to push itself off of the ground despite the pain it was in. Unfortunately, the pain won out, and Slowking's arms gave way as it fell back down. This time, it didn't get up.

At that, the referee raised up his flag in Misty's direction. "Slowking is unable to battle! That means the winner of this match and water Pokemon tournament is Misty!" he shouted.

"What an intense match, everyone! That was definitely worth the wait for! Both trainers utilized their Pokemon superbly, but in the end, Misty's Starmie managed to pull through!" the announcer stated in excitement.

Misty couldn't believe it. She won. She had actually won. She competed in a series of battles at this tournament and was actually declared the winner. The best part was everyone that was important to her had seen it. Lorelei saw it. Her friends saw it. Her sisters saw it, and lastly, Rudy saw it. Misty grinned broadly and ran up to Starmie. She picked up the mysterious Pokemon and began to twirl it around in her excitement.

"We did it! We did it! We did it! I'm so proud of you, Starmie! Thank you so much!" Misty cheered and then gave it a big hug.

"That really was a good match," Ash muttered as he, Leaf, and Tracey clapped for their friend's victory. Though it was saddening that Serena lost, they could still be happy for Misty.

Serena walked over to Slowking and picked its head off the ground so it was looking at her. The royal Pokemon sighed and gave Serena a sad smile. Serena couldn't help but have her eyes water a little like this. Upon evolving, Slowking had actually developed a very smart personality. It had been willing to battle so many times and performed exceedingly well every time. It did all of this for Serena, and it barely knew her yet. She had used it and seen it so seldom when it was just a Slowpoke and now was just only getting to know it. That was a loyal and dedicated Pokemon right there to do all of that for her.

"Oh, Slowking. Thank you so much. You did so great and battled so hard for me in this tournament, and I haven't even gotten to know the real you yet. That is going to change from now on. I know it was sort of an accident how you evolved, but it was actually for the better. Now we can bond just like a trainer and Pokemon should," Serena told it.

"Slooow," it muttered tiredly with a nod before reaching up and brushing a tear away from Serena's eye. That action actually just caused her to tear up a little more. She was glad that she had such great Pokemon.

"Five days of battling had now led us to the end of the tournament, everyone! Now Lorelei will proudly present the tournament trophy to our winner! In addition, the winner will also receive the Mystic Water! Let's hear it for Misty Waterflower, folks!" the announcer exclaimed.

Misty suddenly found herself going into a slight daze at all of the attention she was receiving. She didn't think it was real at first. Being the youngest of her sisters, it was always her who was in the background while her sisters always got credit for everything. Now, it was her who had finally received recognition. Misty didn't think something like this would ever happen. It was a little overwhelming.

Her eyes grew even wider as she saw Lorelei walking towards her. The Elite Four member was carrying with her a trophy which was intended just for her. Upon reaching Misty, she stopped and held out the trophy for her. Serena also approached with her Slowking and stood next to Misty.

"Misty, I'm pleased to present to you this trophy. It doesn't surprise me one bit that you and Serena made it all the way to the final battle," Lorelei told them.

"Thank you so much, Lorelei," Misty replied as she took the trophy and inspected it.

The trophy was gold in color with a pokeball image in the middle. Around it was what looked like roaring waves and the faces of several types of water Pokemon ranging from Goldeen to Gyarados. Knowing this trophy would be too big to carry around. Misty decided she would transport it home as soon as she could. Now she could actually have an award and trophy in the Waterflower collection next to her sisters. She smiled happily at the thought.

Lorelei then retrieved what looked like a small pendent from her pocket and handed it to Misty. "Here, Misty. This is the Mystic Water. If you put this pendent around any of your Pokemon, the power of their water attacks will increase substantially," Lorelei said.

"Wow! That's so cool, Misty," Serena smiled.

Misty looked the pendent over. It looked rather ordinary, but inside the pendent was sparkling water. Misty and Serena couldn't help but wonder what it was that made this water special compared to others. It was rather mysterious.

"You both seem to have the skills of what it is to be great trainers," Lorelei addressed to Misty and Serena. "Each person develops their own style for battling. You both have found yours."

"Lorelei, if you don't mind me asking, what's your personal battle style?" Misty asked, eager to know how an Elite Four member battles. She had seen so many battles from Lorelei on television and really wanted to know her strategy.

"As for me, I try to behave like water," Lorelei answered. Upon seeing they didn't fully understand, she continued. "When I'm not battling, I go with the flow. When a battle starts, I become as hard and unforgiving as ice. Then, I melt right back, and flow on."

"I see," Misty muttered.

"As I said, a trainer can be successful with a number of strategies, but the most important thing is knowing where you true strength lies," Lorelei said seriously.

"Where our true strength lies," Serena echoed.

"That's right. Continue battling side by side with the Pokemon who love you. You'll learn just as much about them as they will about you," Lorelei finished.

Serena and Misty each looked at their respective Pokemon. Lorelei was right. Their Pokemon battled for them because they cared. The more they fought together, the closer that they would become. It was so simple, but to hear it from Lorelei made it so much better. They couldn't wait to share with the others what Lorelei had told them.

"We will, Lorelei! Thank you so much!" Misty said gratefully.

"It was my pleasure," Lorelei replied with a kind smile.

Misty then remembered all of the crowd applauding for her. Serena and Slowking soon joined in, as well. People were standing up in their seats, even! This must be how it feels after her sisters get done with their performances. The thought of what they would say upon seeing her win brought a huge smile to her face. This was her moment, and she wanted to savor it as long as she could. Finally taking the first step of breaking out of her sisters' shadows and becoming a master water Pokemon trainer, Misty Waterflower felt the best she had in a long time.

* * *

The applause for Misty and Serena had lasted quite awhile. Only after most people began to file out of the stadium did they decide to leave. Lorelei bid them farewell with the hope to meet again sometime. Maybe it would even be in battle, which excited them both. As they made their way out of the tunnel, they saw all of their friends there. Leaf was the first to greet them as she ran up to give both of them a hug.

"That was so great, you two! That battle was awesome!" she exclaimed.

"It sure was! You both should be proud of yourselves," Tracey agreed with a nod.

"Yeah. Well…," Misty blushed. She was still trying to get used to this much praise and attention.

"You guys have got to tell me! What was that Lorelei said to you!" Ash asked eagerly.

"Oh. She told us that in order to be great trainers, we have to rely on our strength within and battle side by side with our Pokemon. She said as long as each trainer uses that, they can accomplish anything," Serena answered.

"Man. Advice straight from an Elite Four member's mouth," Tracey commented.

"So what are you two going to do now?" Leaf asked with her arms crossed.

"If it's okay, I'd like to stop by the Pokemon Center first. I would like to call my sisters and transport this large trophy home," Misty replied with a gesture to the trophy.

"Sounds good. I bet all of our Pokemon could use a good checkup!" Ash agreed as they headed off.

As they were walking, Misty couldn't help but wonder where Rudy and Mahri were. She was completely expecting them to be waiting for her with the others. She was sure they had seen her win. Surely they would want to congratulate her. Had they already left?

* * *

The Pokemon Center was still crowded when they arrived, but thankfully, there was a video phone open. Of course, just because there was a phone open didn't mean the group could get to it easily. As soon as they arrived, all eyes turned them.

"Look! It's Misty Waterflower! She's the winner of the tournament, and the runner up is even with her!" one boy exclaimed.

A crowd soon formed around them as they had now become the focal point of the Pokemon Center. Ash, Leaf, and Tracey slid out from all of the commotion to watch with a look of bewilderment on their faces. It was rather strange to see people they knew receiving so much attention. They were asking for all sorts of things such as what it was like to win, the strategies they used, and even a few people who were wanting to trade Pokemon.

After taking time to politely acknowledge all of the people, the two girls managed to squeeze through the crowd and make their way over to the video phone. Despite wanting to congratulate them more, the crowd was understanding enough that the winners wanted to make a few personal calls. They could respect that and soon went back to their own business.

Misty soon sat down and dialed the number to her house. She was beaming with energy and couldn't wait to see the look on her sisters' faces. They would be the ones proud of her for a change! After a few rings, Daisy's image appeared on the screen. Upon seeing Misty, Daisy's image immediately perked up.

"Oh, Misty! Like what's up! We totally watch you in the tournament! You were amazing!" Daisy exclaimed.

"Thank you so much!" Misty replied, happy to receive praise from her sisters.

Soon, Misty's other two sisters appeared beside Daisy. They each waved happily to her to which Misty waved back.

"Like Misty! You have to slow down! If you get too much better at battling, you will steal the spotlight from us!" Violet told her.

"That's right! You have both beauty and battling skills! You'll make your older sisters jealous of you for a change!" Lily playfully said.

"Oh! Hahaha! Thank you, but I still will always look up to all of you since you are my older sisters," Misty replied sincerely.

That's when the sisters took notice of the large trophy beside her. "Check out that trophy. That will look great by itself!" Daisy said.

"By itself? You aren't going to put it with all of yours?" Misty asked in confusion.

"Like of course not, Misty! We know you will only keep getting more awards and trophies as time goes on! Pretty soon, all of your stuff won't fit with ours. You need your own space to make room for all of what's to come!" Daisy answered.

"Oh. Hahaha! I don't think I'll win them that fast," Misty replied in embarrassment.

"So did that cute guy you were telling us about see you battle?" Violet asked.

"Heh. He actually did," Misty replied with a blush.

"Like oh my gosh!" the three sisters exclaimed in unison.

"Her sisters are still as quirky as ever," Ash whispered to Serena so Misty or her sisters wouldn't hear.

"At least they have love there now," Serena replied, remembering how their first interaction they had seen with Misty and her sisters wasn't a great one.

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Like send that trophy over to us so we can find out where to put it!" Daisy exclaimed.

"Oh. Right," Misty replied as she set the trophy on the transporter and pressed the button. That thing was so handy. It could transfer so many things besides pokeballs.

Soon, there was a flash as the trophy was transported. A few seconds later, Daisy reached over to her right and showed Misty her trophy to let her know it had been delivered safely. Violet soon grabbed the trophy from Daisy's hands and admired it before Lily tried to grab it, too. Pretty soon, Lily and Violet were fighting over the trophy as if it was their own while Daisy watched nervously.

"Like let me see it for a second!" Lily said.

"No way! I'm not done yet!" Violet retorted.

"Hey! Be careful with that!" Misty exclaimed, not wanting them to accidentally break it.

"Okay. Sorry," Violet and Lily muttered sheepishly before handing it back to Daisy. The oldest Sensational sister then smiled at Misty one last time.

"Just know that we're all like really happy for you Misty. We're proud to call you a Sensational Sister just like us as well as our real sister," Daisy told her.

"Oh, Daisy," Misty muttered and felt tears come to her eyes at her sister's words.

"Now, now! Like none of that crying junk! Go celebrate and have a happy time with your friends! Call us soon!" Daisy waved.

"Right! I will! Take care of yourselves!" Misty told them.

"We will. You do the same," Daisy told her.

"Like bye, Misty!" Violet and Lily waved before the screen shut off.

Misty wiped her eyes and turned back to her friends who were all smiling at her. Serena and Ash had seen firsthand how Misty's sisters used to treat her. This was such an improvement and it really made them happy to see Misty and hers sisters act like a real family. Leaf and Tracey hadn't seen it, but they could tell what Misty's relationship with her sisters used to be like by the way Misty talked about them.

Serena was just about to call her mom when the doors opened up once. Everyone in the group besides Misty turned around. They opened their mouths at who it was, but Misty wasn't aware until whe suddenly found a bouquet of flowers in front of her face. She turned and gasped in happiness when she saw it was Rudy with Mahri right beside him. They haven't left, after all!

"Forgive my belated congratulations, Misty, but I simply had to get you these once I saw you won," Rudy smiled.

"Oh. They're lovely, Rudy. Thank you," Misty replied as she took them and felt a blush coming to her cheeks.

"Yeah. We're glad you like them! My brother paid a lot for them!" Mahri blurted out.

"Mahri!" Rudy exclaimed, suddenly looking flustered for a change before straightening his composure. He then cleared his throat before speaking again. "The price is irrevlavent. I was very happy to get you those."

"Oh, Rudy," Misty blushed again as she took a quick sniff of the flowers. They smelled wonderful.

"Please, Misty. It would do me the honor if we could celebrate your wonderful victory somehow. Won't you come back to Trovita Island with us tomorrow?" Rudy requested.

"Come to Trovita Island with you tomorrow?" Misty echoed.

"That's right. We can leave on my private boat. Your friends are more then welcome to come, as well," Rudy replied as he gestured to them.

"That's right! You're the gym leader! Can we have our battle while we're there!?" Ash asked, eager now for the battle. He had trained his Pokemon a lot over the past few days and felt ready for another gym battle.

"Oh, yeah. We can have our battle, Ash. Just be prepared as I'm quite a tough opponent," Rudy answered with a slight smirk.

"That doesn't bother me!" Ash stated, getting fired up once again.

Rudy then turned his attention back to Misty. "Well, that settles it. If you and your friends could be ready to leave by eleven tomorrow morning, that would be great."

"Okay. We'll be there!" Misty nodded.

"Great. In that case, have a lovely night, Misty, and congratulations once more on winning the tournament. I knew you could do it," Rudy told Misty before taking her right hand and giving it a delicate kiss.

"Bye, Misty! We can't wait to have you over!" Mahri waved as she and her brother turned to leave.

Misty watched them go with her hand over her heart. What was it about Rudy that always made her feel so flustered. He was probably the most charming gentleman she had ever met. She was everything she could ever hope for in a guy. Misty blushed once again as she found she was thinking of him that way. Was this crush actually turning into something else? Was she geniunely falling for him?

The rest of the group couldn't smile before a single thought it them collectively. How this was all going to play out? It was true that Rudy and Misty clearly liked each other, but they were from totally different areas. How would that work when it came time for them to leave Trovita Island. Would they be okay with becoming separated again? One could say they could cross that bridge once they got there, but that situation was approaching quite fast. They didn't want either Rudy or Misty to get their heart broken, but how were they going to cope? They also wondered if either Rudy or Misty had thought about that.

What would they do?

* * *

 **I hope I did a good job with the quicker battles here. Misty was still the star here, and she will be on the next chapter, too. Misty's finally done something with her dream and can now kickstart it, but what does that hold in the future for her?**

 **Well...Ash's Trovita Island gym battle is...cough! Sorry, no it isn't. It turned out that as I was writing the chapter after this...it ended up being so long that I had to split it into two chapters. The next chapter is very important and really affects Misty and Rudy's relationship in the future.**

 **I'll see you guys on October 20. Have a good one and thanks for all the reviews and support! It was very touching to read all of your comments about why you like the story and even going into detail. It motivates me all the more to really see this series through until the end!  
**

 **Chapter 12: Rudy's Invitation**

 **Answering the Questions:**

 _Will Serena's Poliwag remind her and Ash of the day they met each other?_

 ** _No. Poliwag didn't really have any effect on Ash and Serena's meeting. It was just simply a random Pokemon that jumped out of the bushes and scared Serena. Fanart I've seen of the two as young kids seems to suggest differently, though._**

 _You said in the previous ark that Serena will get a pseudo legendary pokemon will she still get one? And will Ash get a pseudo legendary Pokemon?_

 ** _Yes. She will._**

 ** _...and Ash already has a pseudo legenday, remember? Dratini!_**

 _Since you changed your mind about Leaf leaving does that mean there's a possibility that Misty might stay with Rudy in the end?_

 ** _The next two chapters will answer that question._**

 _Will Brock cameo in the Power of One arc?_

 ** _Yes, but that's all it will be._**

 _When will Gary come back?  
_

 _ **Sometime in Johto.**_

 _What gender are Misty and Serena's Poliwags, respectively?  
_

 ** _Both are male. Misty's is just super affectionate._**

 _Despite the fact that Charizard already obeys Ash, will you possibly be doing your own version of "Charizard Chills"?_

 ** _Not at the moment._**

 _Will you do the film with the eon duo (I don't remember the name), and Ash could capture LAtias (even if it's become a bit cliché)?_

 ** _At the moment, doing Pokemon Heroes is in the plan, but Ash still won't "catch" Latias._**


	12. Rudy's Invitation

**A/N: And here is the prequel to the sneak peak some of you saw with the gym battle lol. Don't let that deter you from enjoying the chapter. This arc is now at the halfway mark! Hooray!**

 **I'm glad a lot of you enjoyed the battles in the Water Pokemon Tournament. A few of you mentioned it was rushed, and honestly, it probably was. It just wasn't turning out how I envisioned it when I first had the idea a while back. I'll make up for it in the Whirl Cup, though. I have some cool ideas for it already!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 12: Rudy's Invitation

Taking a ride on a private boat was a rather different experience for the group. It wasn't like any ferry the group had used so far. It wasn't big, but it was certainly adequate for the group's size. It wasn't the fanciest boat they had ever been on, but it definitely looked nice. It just had sort of a cozy feel to it because it was more personalized. It was actually preferable to ride one of these. Still, the group couldn't tell if Rudy owned a private boat because he was rich or because he was a gym leader. In the end, though, it didn't really matter.

They were, of course, grateful that Rudy offered to let them come along. He told them they were free to do whatever they wanted as long as they didn't mess anything up. Nothing too hard. Ash had been wanting to ask Rudy what type of gym leader he was but never got the opportunity. Not surprisingly, the young man had been spending most of his time with Misty.

Speaking of Misty, the group hadn't seen much of her, either. They were glad she was having a good time, but they couldn't recall a single time on this boat where they had an actual conversation with Misty or Rudy. They had even been on this ship for more than a day. When they would ask Mahri what they were doing, the young girl would simply state that they were merely talking privately. The group couldn't help but wonder what on Earth they were talking about. Even Ash and Serena didn't think they talked to each other as much as Misty and Rudy were. It almost made them feel strange.

At last, though, the group could finally make out what they presumed was Trovita Island in the distance. It appeared to be a rather ordinary sized island with not a lot on it. That appeared to be fine, though, as an island with a large city didn't appear too far from it. The group could see several large rocks sticking up from the ocean around the island. It almost seemed to form a protective barrier around it.

"I wonder what the gym will be like here," Ash mused to himself as he and the rest leaned over the side of the boat. "It would be pretty cool to have a battle on one of those large rocks."

"I suppose, but wouldn't that be dangerous for your Pokemon?" Serena asked.

"It would help with the training, though," Ash replied as he took a look back to the rocks.

"I want you guys to not lean on the railings while we are passing through these rocks," Rudy's voice spoke from behind them.

The group turned and found Rudy standing there with Misty beside him. It was almost surprising to see the two now considering how little they saw of them recently.

"Why?" Ash asked curiously.

"This island is surrounded by a lot of whirlpools. They can jostle the ship a little bit which could send you into a tumble over the edge if you're not careful. It's best just not to lean on them right now," Rudy warned.

"I gotcha," Ash replied as he and the others stood back a little bit.

Sure enough, as the boat began passing through the rocks, they could see quite a few whirlpools surrounding them. If they were to fall in, it most certainly wouldn't end well. The boat did start rocking, but it wasn't enough to make them lose their balance. Still, one would definitely rather be safe than sorry.

As they approached the shoreline, they could see a group of boys waiting to greet them. They must be trainers who are instructed under Rudy and could take care of everything while he was gone. Oddly, enough, they were all dressed in a black shirt and white vest just like Rudy was. There were also several types of Pokemon there, too.

As soon as the group disembarked the ship, Mahri immediately ran to boys and Pokemon and hugged them each. They all happily returned the hug and patted her head before making their way over to Rudy.

"Hey, Master Rudy. How was the water Pokemon tournament?" one of them asked.

"Mahri and I had a lot of fun. Is everything at the gym going well?" Rudy replied.

"Yes. Your Pokemon missed you, though," the same one answered as he gestured to some of the waiting Pokemon.

"Well, I'm back now so no need to worry, and I even brought some company with me," Rudy assured.

"Oh?" another one of the boys asked.

"That's right. Everyone, I'd like to introduce you all to Misty Waterflower, a girl that is just as beautiful on the inside as the outside," Rudy announced as took Misty by the hand and brought her in front of him so they could see her better.

"Oh. It's nice to meet all of you," Misty said while blushing, a little flustered by Rudy referring to her as 'beautiful'.

"Flowers for Misty, please," Rudy called and snapped his fingers.

The group let out a gasp as one of the boys pulled bouquet of flowers from seemingly nowhere before presenting it to Misty. Did these pretty boys always have a ready supply of flowers with them wherever they went?

"Hey, uh, what about us?" Ash mumbled.

"Hmmhmm. You're right. Everyone! This is Ash, Serena, Leaf, and Tracey. They're friends of Misty, and Ash will be challenging me to gym match!" Rudy told them.

"You bet! Let's go ahead and get started!" Ash declared.

"Be patient, Ash! We just got here!" Misty whispered harshly.

Ash sighed but didn't argue. He didn't want to seem like some sort of whiner because he wasn't getting to battle yet. Even so, it was starting to bug him how Rudy seemed to pay so much attention to Misty and nothing else. It wasn't like he thought Rudy wasn't a nice guy, and truthfully, Ash didn't know why it bothered him. He should be happy Misty finally found a guy that took an interest in her, but it seemed to be distracting her from everything else, including her friends who were with her right now.

"Don't worry, Ash. I've already accepted your challenge, but to actually battle you, you have pass a test," Rudy told him.

"Another test, huh?" Ash questioned. This wasn't new to him now. Both Cissy and Danny required tests before they battled Ash, and they were never easy.

"That's right, but first, I want you all to join us for some refreshments. A boat ride can tend to take some energy out of you," Rudy offered as he turned and led Misty by the hand. Mahri, the Pokemon, and the boys followed them.

"Well, it was nice of him to offer us a snack. I say we go," Tracey shrugged.

"Yeah," Ash muttered.

"Are you alright, Ash? It may just be me, but you seem a little irritable," Serena wondered.

"Chuuuu," Pikachu added, also noticing its trainer's mood.

"I'll be fine. I guess I'm just being a little impatient right now. I'll try not be so sour. Sorry," Ash apologized.

"I don't think that's all it is. Maybe it would be a year ago, but you've come a long way since then," Serena told him firmly.

"Does it bother you that Misty is spending so much time with Rudy?" Leaf whispered so Misty or Rudy wouldn't hear her.

Ash sighed. "Maybe it does. I don't say this too often, but I have missed Misty's company this past week. Ever since she met Rudy again, the only time we ever see her is when she's with him."

"What's wrong with that?" Serena wondered.

"Misty and Rudy are getting awfully close. I know we can't stay on this island forever. I just know that once we leave, someone isn't going to want to let go," Ash replied.

"You mean…," Serena began.

"Yep," Ash finished, knowing what she was going to say.

"Wow, Ash. That's actually pretty astute of you," Leaf said in surprise at Ash's rare moment of clarity.

Ash didn't reply and faced forward again with the rest of the group. It was true. They would be leaving this island before long, and Rudy and Misty would have to separate. How would that play out?

* * *

The group had spent an hour inside Rudy's training center having their snacks. It didn't take them long to figure out that this place wasn't where gym challenges took place. Come to think of it, none of the gyms in the Orange Islands looked normal. Cissy's was a remote side of the island, and Danny's was on top of a mountain. They could only imagine where Rudy's would be. Underwater?

Rudy then led everyone outside where they walked through a small forest. It wasn't long before they came upon a river. A small motor boat was tied to the dock. Rudy and Mahri then went towards the dock and got in the boat, gesturing for Misty and Ash to follow.

"So what's the test like?" Ash asked curiously.

"It's a target test," Rudy answered simply.

"Heh. Seems easy enough," Ash smiled with confidence.

"You think so, do you?" Rudy asked with what seemed to be a glint in his eye.

"Be careful, Ash. Remember. This is the Orange League. There may be more to the test than simple target practice," Tracey warned.

"Yeah. I guess," Ash shrugged as he and Pikachu got in the boat next.

After Misty got in the boat, Rudy turned to everyone else. "I'm sorry, but the trainer must do the test alone. The motor boat is too small to fit all of you."

"What about Misty?" Ash muttered.

"She's my special guest," Rudy answered as he grabbed Misty by the hands, causing her to blush.

"Oh, brother," Ash mumbled. He then turned to Pikachu. "Please tell me you never see Serena and me act like that."

"Pihihihi," Pikachu snickered, neither confirming or denying Ash's question.

Ash rolled his eyes and turned back to Rudy. "So what are the rules?" he asked.

"The rules themselves are simple. You just have to have your Pokemon hit every target that appears," Rudy told him.

"What's the cache?" Ash questioned, knowing it sounded to easy.

"There are twelve targets, and you have to use the six Pokemon you have with you to hit them. You must use each of the six Pokemon with you twice. None of them can be used a third time, or you're out, but you can send them out in any order," Rudy explained.

"So each of my Pokemon have to hit at least two targets each, and they can't miss," Ash figured.

"Yes, and naturally, some are a lot harder than others," Rudy said.

"Well, Pikachu. Ready for a little target practice?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu!" it responded and pumped its tiny fists into the air.

"Good luck, Ash!" Serena, Leaf, and Tracey called as Rudy started the motorboat.

"No problem!" Ash shouted back and gave them all a thumbs up.

"I wish you luck, too, Ash," Mahri told him.

"Oh. Thanks a lot," Ash replied as he turned and gave the younger girl a smile.

"You sure are going to need lots of it to get a badge from my brother," Mahri finished, causing Ash to face fault.

"Alright, Ash. Here we go!" Rudy called as he untied the rope, and the motorboat began speeding down the river.

"Woah!" Ash cried as he stumbled a little from the sudden burst of speed. Maybe he should sit down for this.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu yelled, grabbing Ash's attention.

Ash looked to see where Pikachu was pointing and gasped that the first target had already appeared. It had appeared behind one of the tree branches hanging over the river and was approaching fast. He had to act quickly or he would be disqualified after only the first target!

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt that target!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu quickly unleashed a huge bolt of electricity from its body. It was with perfect accuracy, and the first target was obliterated. Ash breathed a huge sigh of relief. That was pretty close. He would have to keep a watch out.

"It's too bad you used your Pikachu on such an easy one. They just get harder from here on out," Rudy commented from behind Ash.

No sooner had Rudy this that another target appeared. This time it appeared behind a jagged rock that was in the middle of the fast moving river. Having more time to decide, Ash chose his next Pokemon.

"Let's go, Muk!" he shouted. The sludge Pokemon was rather unwieldy for such a test, but he needed to go ahead and use it with another straight forward target. As soon as it was out, he said his next command. "Use Poison Jab!"

Muk extended its sludgy hand and punched through the wooden target with ease. The motorboat sailed past the destroyed target as Ash recalled Muk and decided on what his next Pokeon should be. He turned around and smirked at Rudy to see the expression on his face…only to find that Rudy was instead looking into Misty's eyes.

"Your eyes…they shine like diamonds," Rudy said to her.

"Oh, Rudy," Misty gushed.

"Uh, not to be rude, but aren't you supposed to be watching me and not Misty?" Ash asked with narrowed eyes.

"Aren't you supposed to be watching the course and not us?" Rudy rebutted before adding, "By the way, we're almost past the next target."

Ash swiftly turned around, and his eyes widened. When had that target appeared?! Shoot! He didn't have time to call out another Pokemon! His only choice was to use Pikachu!

"Pikachu! Hurry and use Thunderbolt!" he yelled.

Pikachu had already launched its Thunderbolt at the target before Ash was finished with his sentence. It knew what its trainer was fixing to tell it. It was just making sure to hit the target before they passed it. The electricity struck the target and destroyed it, leaving Ash three for three. Unfortunately, that meant…

"Well, Ash. That's the second time you used Pikachu. You can't use it anymore on this course," Rudy told him.

Ash couldn't help but sigh. Rudy had told him that these targets were going to get harder, and he already used his Pikachu on two easy ones because he wasn't paying attention. That had cost him, and now he had his work cut out for him. Ash knew he couldn't take his eyes off the course for another second. He then let out a gasp as a target suddenly shot out of the river about ten feet into the air before beginning its descent back into the water.

"Go, Bulbasaur, and use Razor Leaf!" Ash hollered and released it.

The bulb dinosaur shot out its flurry of leaves at the target. Bulbasaur made sure to aim a little bit below the target since it was traveling downward. It was a success, and the target was shredded into multiple splinters which landed harmlessly in the raging river.

"Great, Bulbasaur!" Ash encouraged as he returned it.

"Not bad, Ash," Rudy said from behind him.

Ash smiled to himself that Rudy had acknowledged that last one. That's when Ash realized that the gym leader probably didn't need to be focused on Ash the entire time to see if he hit it. He had a second set of eyes with Mahri for one thing, and it wasn't exactly like shredding the targets was a quiet activity. Ash should just mind his own business and focus on the task at hand rather than Rudy's attention to Misty for the moment.

That was when two targets unexpectedly appeared at the same time. One appeared on the right, and one appeared on the left. Knowing that one Pokemon couldn't hit both targets. Logic told Ash that he was supposed to use two Pokemon here.

"Let's go, Charizard and Wartortle!" he yelled before commanding, "Wartortle, use Water Gun on the left, and Charizard, Flamethrower on the right!"

Both Pokemon shot forward their respective attacks which destroyed the targets. Ash complimented his two Pokemon before recalling them to his pokeball. Now he had hit half the targets. If Ash could keep this up, he would be just fine.

It wasn't long before Ash was almost done with the course. As Rudy said, they did progressively get harder, but Ash had managed to get them all, except one. Not surprisingly, Rudy informed Ash that the last target would be the hardest of them all. Ash now only needed to use his Muk for this one. It wasn't as great at long range attacks as his other Pokemon, but he believed in the sludge Pokemon.

"Pika Pi," Pikachu muttered, also keeping on watch for the elusive target.

"Get ready, Pikachu. It's going to appear at any moment," Ash mumbled back to it, his eyes completely fixed on the river in front of him.

The sailboat sped along the river for a few seconds, and there was still no sign of the target. It was starting to unnerve Ash a little bit. He knew that they were almost through with this lap, and the target still hadn't shown up yet. Shouldn't it have appeared by now? What gives? He turned back to Rudy who simply watched Ash with his arms crossed. He could tell by that look that this was the one most trainers missed. That's when Ash remembered he needed to focus and immediately snapped his attention back to the river.

" _Where is it?"_ Ash thought.

It was then he noticed something odd about the water that was just in front of him. It was moving a little more strangely than the water around it. Maybe that was because that part was different color? Wait. Why would that part be different? Ash squinted his eyes and gasped. The target was sitting in the water about a foot under! They're about to sail right over it!

"Muk, hurry!" Ash yelled as he opened the pokeball as quickly as he could.

As soon as he called it out, Ash realized he had no idea what to do. They were too close for Ash to have Muk use Poison Jab unless he risked to have Muk's hand severed by the motor. Sludge Bomb would explode upon impact with the water, and the target would be too deep to be affected by it. Ash gritted his teeth until he saw Muk taking matters into its own hands, apparently sensing what Ash was thinking. The sludge Pokemon seemed to tense up before hurling a huge amount of sludge from its hands. Ash gasped as the sludge didn't appear to explode like a Sludge Bomb would. The nasty goo kept going through the water until blasting right through the target just a second before the boat passed it.

"Wait. Was that Gunk Shot?" Ash asked in confusion.

"It was, Ash. Your Muk just learned a new move!" Misty smiled.

"Hey, congratulations, Muk! That was one powerful piece of sludge! Wait to go!" Ash cheered.

"Muuuuuuk!" Muk cried happily as it went to hug Ash.

"W-wait! Not in the boat!" Ash cried as he quickly returned Muk to its pokeball. He was really happy for his Pokemon but didn't want to be knocked out of the boat or smothered in sludge, either.

The boat then rounded a corner, and Ash could see where they would disembark. They made a full lap in the small river, and Ash felt rather proud of himself. He knew he had just passed the test of another Orange Crew member. Granted, this one was a lot harder than he thought like Rudy said, and he almost missed a few, but thanks to his training, his Pokemon were able to hit the targets with pinpoint accuracy.

"Well, congratulations, Ash. It looks like you passed the test," Rudy told him.

"Great job! That was cool!" Mahri added.

"By the way, this test's purpose wasn't to test a Pokemon's accuracy, but a trainer's ability to make good decisions in the blink of an eye as well as to focus on all of their surroundings," Rudy explained.

"Oh. I see," Ash replied, realizing that made sense. A regular target test would've been too easy. That was why Rudy had some bizarrely placed ones as well as two at a time in some instances.

The motorboat then slowed to a halt, and the passengers climbed out. Serena immediately ran up to Ash and looked at him hopefully. Ash grinned back at Serena and gave her, Leaf, and Tracey a thumbs up.

"I passed the test!" he declared proudly.

"That's so good, Ash!" Serena replied as she gave him a hug, to which he returned.

"I'm a little surprised, Ash, but you did it," Rudy said from behind Ash. "I'll officially accept your challenge now."

"Thanks, Rudy," Ash replied, turning away from Serena.

"We'll have our battle tomorrow afternoon after lunch. It will be on top of the tallest rock surrounding the island," Rudy continued.

"Wait. You mean you two are going to battle on one of those giant spiky rocks that are surrounded by whirlpools?" Serena asked worriedly.

"That's correct," Rudy affirmed.

"Don't worry, Serena. My Pokemon and I will be fine. We've been in more dangerous situations than this. Remember Blaine's gym in the volcano?" Ash reminded.

Serena sighed, but she knew Ash was right. Truth be told, she was extremely worried about his battle in the volcano, too, however. Even if a water Pokemon were to fall off those rocks, the whirlpools could possibly get to them first, and then they would be in trouble. She just hoped there would be some sort of safety barriers but chances are there wouldn't be.

"The way our battle will work will be you will choose three Pokemon of a different element, and then I will choose the same element. If you win three out of three, I'll give you that badge you want so much," Rudy said.

"So we're going to battle with the same types of Pokemon?" Ash inquired.

"Yes. The toughest battle for any Pokemon to win is against an opponent who is the same type as them. I will really test your skills as a trainer to think of a strategy to win against an opposing Pokemon that has virtually the same skills," Rudy elaborated.

"Ash also has to beat all three of your Pokemon?" Serena questioned.

"Right. If a trainer can't beat all of my Pokemon than they wouldn't stand a chance against the champion in the Orange League," Rudy explained.

"I gotcha!" Ash stated. "In that case, I'll use a fighting-type, a water-type, and a poison-type!"

"Alright. I look forward to it, Ash," Rudy agreed before turning to leave with Mahri and the other boys of the gym. He then stopped to look at Misty. "Misty, why don't you have dinner with Mahri and me again, tonight? I'll cook something great for all of us."

"Really? You can cook?" Misty asked hopefully.

"Well, I don't mean to brag, but…" Rudy began.

"My brother's an awesome cook! You'll love anything he makes!" Mahri piped up.

"Sounds good, Rudy! I'd love to!" Misty answered after a slight giggle.

"Great. I'll see you then," Rudy waved as he and the others continued on.

* * *

It was the evening now, and the group was in the Pokemon Center. Rudy had apologized for not being able to house everybody, but between him, his sister, and the trainers who studied under him, there simply wasn't room. The group didn't mind, of course, and thought Rudy was being generous enough as it is. Though partly, they all knew it was because of Misty. They highly doubted Rudy did this for any trainer that wished to challenge him.

Misty hummed merrily to herself as she freshened up for her dinner date with Rudy. Not surprisingly, he had invited her to try one of his home-cooked meals this time. Misty was rather excited about it herself as she couldn't wait to see what kind of cook Rudy was. After dinner, who knows what else they could do on Trovita Island?

Serena and Leaf stood behind Misty as she fixed herself up. They were really happy for their friend, but that did nothing to stifle their earlier worries. They didn't have the heart to voice it to Misty, however. That was something Rudy and Misty would have to sort out themselves.

"So how do I look?" Misty suddenly asked as she turned to face the two girls.

"Simply gorgeous," Serena complimented.

"Rudy will have his socks knocked off!" Leaf added.

"Togepriii!" Togepi said, as well.

"See? Even Togepi thinks so," Serena giggled as she smiled down at the spikeball Pokemon

"Thanks," Misty smiled before addressing Serena. "Hey, Serena. Why don't you and Ash double date with Rudy and me tonight?"

"Oh? That sounds like a good idea, but if I did that, Leaf and Togepi would be all by themselves tonight, and besides, I'm sure Ash is going to be focused for his gym battle tomorrow," Serena replied.

"I get it. He's a future Pokemon Master and can't have any distractions when he's about to have a big battle," Misty said.

"That's right," Serena responded.

"He really is a great guy for you," Misty sighed before adding, "Just don't ever tell him I said that!"

"Heehee. I won't," Serena giggled along with Leaf. Misty could get so defensive when it came to Ash, but they really did care for and like each other as friends.

"Right. Well, in that case, I'm off. Rudy said we should be done around eleven o'clock. Don't feel like you have to wait up for me!" Misty told them as she turned to leave their room at the Pokemon Center. As she exited, she nearly bumped in Ash.

"Oh. Sorry, Ash," Misty apologized before attempting to move past him.

"It's okay, Misty. I'm just now coming in from training my Pokemon," Ash replied.

"I see. Well, good luck tomorrow. I'm off to see Rudy," Misty said as she went to leave again, but Ash stopped her.

"Misty," Ash began.

"What is it, Ash?" Misty questioned while giving him a curious look.

Ash sighed. He really wanted to tell Misty about how she and Rudy are getting pretty serious. He didn't want to pry, but Misty was still his friend, and he didn't want to see her hurt in the end. Surely, she and Rudy had at least talked about what would happen when they had to be away from each other again, or had they been so into talking about other things that it never crossed their minds? Then again, if he said something, Misty might take it the wrong way and get rather angry. He ultimately decided against saying something and moved aside for Misty to pass.

"Uh…just…make sure you root for me tomorrow!" he said cheerfully.

"Umm…sure. Of course I will," Misty muttered in confusion and continued on.

Ash continued to watch her until she disappeared from view. Pikachu looked down curiously at its trainer. It knew Ash had been wanting to say something to Misty, but he didn't.

"Pika?" it asked.

"It's nothing, buddy. Come on. Let's go see Serena, Togepi, Tracey, and Leaf before hitting the sack. Hitmonchan, Kingler, and Muk have quite a battle tomorrow," he muttered before heading off to the others' rooms.

* * *

Misty, Rudy, and Mahri had just finished eating. Just as they said, Misty thought the food was excellent. That just added to another of the many good marks Misty could think of to describe Rudy. Was there no end to this boy's charm and talents?

"Everything was so delicious, Rudy. Thank you," Misty said honestly.

"It was my pleasure, Misty. I'm glad you enjoyed it," Rudy smiled.

"See? Isn't my brother the best?!" Mahri grinned.

"He certainly is!" Misty agreed before blushing at what she said. She gave a shy look at Rudy who seemed to have turned a little red himself. Woah. Had the temperature warmed up in the room a little bit?

"I'm happy you think so. I think you're the best, also," Rudy muttered. Despite his shy tone, he was looking at Misty directly in the eye when he said it.

"Oh?! Heheheh! R-really?" Misty stuttered.

The two sat there staring at each other for quite a while. They were once so full of conversation, but now it had grown oddly quiet. It was true they both thought extremely highly of each other, but for them to actually say it made them nervous all of a sudden. Misty could hear her heart pounding in her chest as she and Rudy continued to gaze at each other. All of a sudden, Mahri broke the silence.

"Hey! You want to know something? I've always wanted a big sister, Misty!" she spoke up.

"Oh. Huh?" Misty asked, her voice sounding startled as if she just woke up from a trance. Rudy turned to look at his sister, also.

"I love my brother and the other boys at the gym, but I'm the only girl here," Mahri continued, suddenly sounding sad.

"Oh, Mahri. I'm sorry to hear that. It must be tough," Misty replied sympathetically.

Mahri perked up again. "I know! Why don't you stay here forever!? You and my brother could get married, and then you could be my big sister!"

"Oh…umm…what?" Misty stumbled in her sentence.

That statement had definitely caught her off guard. Did Mahri actually suggest that she and Rudy should get married?! Despite all the fun Misty was having with Rudy, that was something she really hadn't thought about. They were too young, but Mahri definitely suggested that she should stay here forever. That also brought another problem to Misty's mind. She would be leaving Trovita Island soon with everyone else. What would she do then? She and Rudy had grown awfully close in such a short amount of time. Did she even want to leave the island? Could she really stand to be away from him again? How would a relationship work when she was always traveling?

"Mahri, let's talk about something else," Rudy said a little awkwardly. Misty could tell by his expression that the thoughts that plagued her mind were on his, as well.

"Why?" Mahri wondered, clearly not understanding how uncomfortable she made the two.

"On second thought, why don't you go play so Misty and I can talk by ourselves?" Rudy suggested.

"Hey, brother. Can I go swimming in the ocean while you two are talking? Please?" Mahri asked cutely.

"No, Mahri. You know you can't go swimming alone unless I or one of the other trainers are with you," Rudy told her.

"But I'm getting older now. Besides, everyone else is training right now and won't want to go with me! I'll have Seel with me, too!" Mahri pouted.

"The answer is still no, Mahri. The whirlpools around this island can get really bad at night. You could easily get pulled into one of them," Rudy said a little more sternly.

"Fine. Okay," Mahri mumbled before hopping out of her seat and sulking out of the room.

"Mahri really does seem to think highly of you," Rudy informed Misty after Mahri left.

"Yeah. She is a really sweet girl," Misty agreed.

"Misty?" Rudy said, grabbing her attention.

"Hmm? What is it?" Misty inquired, noticing his serious tone.

"About what Mahri said," Rudy began.

Misty's breath caught in her throat. She blushed again and looked to the side. She almost had a feeling where this was going. It was something that would inevitably come up. Deep down, they both knew it but didn't want to say anything. It had to be addressed now, though.

"It really would be great if you consider staying here on Trovita Island with us," Rudy finished.

"On Trovita Island with you?" Misty echoed.

"I know what I'm asking for is a lot, but I'm going to say it right now. I really like you a lot, Misty," Rudy said seriously.

"Oh, Rudy. I like you, too," Misty responded as she looked at the boy once again. "It's just…,"

"You don't want to leave your friends?" Rudy asked sadly.

"Oh, no! It's not that. I…just…don't know," Misty replied lamely.

"Would you please at least think about it? Mahri and I would be so happy if you said yes. After being with you these past few days, I couldn't imagine being away from you again," Rudy told her.

Misty looked down at the ground. Rudy was seriously wanting her to stay here on Trovita Island and live with him and Mahri. Is that what she really wanted, though? Brock seemed to have found a place where he belonged with Professor Ivy. Was her place with Rudy? There was no doubt she would be incredibly happy here.

"Alright. I promise you I'll think about it. I'll give you my answer after the gym match tomorrow," Misty replied.

"That's fair enough, Misty. Thank you," Rudy responded before standing up. "With that being said, let's lighten the mood a little. How would you like to meet all of my Pokemon?"

"Oh. I'd love to!" Misty said brightly as she stood up, as well. They then walked down the hall to where Rudy's Pokemon were.

* * *

Mahri quietly slipped onto the beach with her Seel beside her. She was a little nervous about sneaking out and disobeying her brother to go out right now. Despite this, Mahri felt she was a big girl now and could look after herself. The whirlpools were well away from where she would be swimming anyway. She would be careful, and she had Seel with her so technically she wasn't alone.

"Seel?" the seal Pokemon questioned. It was slightly more apprehensive than Mahri about this. It knew the rules, but she had talked it into coming with her.

"It's okay, Seel. We'll have a lot of fun, and we won't even go far out," Mahri replied as she took her first step into the ocean. It had been a while since she swam in the ocean due the Water Pokemon tournament.

The young girl smiled at how great the water felt on her feet right now. It was the perfect temperature outside, and the water temperature was perfect, too. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the moon looked very lovely. In short, it was perfect for swimming according to Mahri. It was far better than swimming during the day when it was so hot outside where she could get sunburned.

Seel pulled its way into the water, too, as Mahri began taking a few steps further out. The waves weren't especially rough right now because there was a light wind. They were gentle and were at just the right height to where Mahri didn't need to do anything except let them roll around her. Mahri kept getting a little farther out until the water was halfway up her torso. That was enough. She wouldn't go any farther out than this.

She turned back around and saw she was actually still pretty close to the shoreline. If something bad looked like it was about to happen, she would have plenty of time to out of the water. Seel would help out, too. Mahri suddenly couldn't help but think her brother was being rather silly right now. It wasn't like she was planning to go deep into the ocean. Those whirlpools were really far away right now. As long as she didn't go any deeper than this, she was fine.

"Alright, Seel. What do you want to play?" she asked the sea lion Pokemon.

Seel put its fin to its chin as if it were in thought. It then smirked mischievously before playfully splashing Mahri. It then dived under the water to hide from her.

Mahri sputtered for a second before she began to laugh. Oh. So that's how Seel wanted to play! She took a deep breath before submerging herself into the water to look for it. She glanced around but didn't see any sign of it. That's when she felt a slight bump from behind her. She turned around and saw Seel waving at her with its fin under the water. The young girl smiled and waved back before coming up for air.

The young girl took a deep breath as Seel popped up next to her. It then grew worried as it saw Mahri grinned sneakily and gave Seel the biggest splash of its life. She then laughed once again.

"That's what you get for splashing me first, Seel!" she taunted. She then grabbed its fins and began to dance with it in the water.

"See? Isn't this fun? We don't need adults here with us just to swim in the ocean. We can take care of ourselves. It's not like we are anywhere near the whirlpools," Mahri told it.

Mahri didn't know how long she had been out in the ocean. Maybe between five and ten minutes? She wouldn't stay here too long. As she continued playing with Seel, she kept moving a lot through the water and began to not pay attention. What the young girl didn't know was that even though she was far away from the whirlpools, there were still rip currents, and she was about to step right into one.

Mahri gasped as she suddenly felt a strong pull from underneath water. Her hands broke contact with Seel as she began to get carried off farther into the ocean. She began to swim as hard as she could to get back, but the current was more powerful and just kept bringing her further out. Her brother had told her that if she ever was in a rip current to swim parallel with the shore to get out, but her frantic state was causing her to forget.

"Seel! Help me!" she screamed.

"Seeeeel!" the sea lion cried as it tore through water after Mahri.

It was swimming along with the current to try to get to Mahri faster. It wasn't long before it reached her. Mahri reached out as hard as she could to grab Seel's fin. She barely managed to grab it, and Seel began its attempt at swimming out. Horror dawned on both it and Mahri's faces when they realized they had both become caught in the rip current now. It had now gotten very strong, even Seel couldn't get out now.

"What are we going to do?!" Mahri yelled at Seel.

She then turned around, and her eyes widened in terror. The rip current was taking her right to where the whirlpools were. She and Seel began to swim the hardest they ever could, but the rip current was relentless and refused to let them out of it.

"Somebody! Anybody! Help us!" Mahri screamed again.

Her brother was right. She really wished she hadn't come out. It really was a bad idea to come alone. If someone else was with her, they might be able to help, but no one else was around, especially since it was nighttime. The weather was so deceptively tranquil, but the situation had turned frightening so quickly. She didn't know what to do! The pull from the current was bringing her even closer, and it was even trying take her under the water occasionally. The only thing she could do was scream and hold onto Seel as tightly as she could.

* * *

"Here we are," Rudy presented as he showed Misty where he kept the Pokemon.

Misty smiled as she took a look around the large room. It appeared to be some kind of work out room. There was a sound system in one of the corners that was playing happy music. What grabbed Misty's attention the most, though, were the Pokemon themselves. Rudy had a huge range of Pokemon here. He probably had as much Pokemon as Ash and Serena combined. Not to mention, they were all dancing. Misty couldn't help but feel compelled to mention it.

"So do all of your Pokemon dance?" she asked curiously.

"They sure do. I don't think it's enough to just teach Pokemon attacks. I found a Pokemon's abilities can improve and change if they learn how to do something completely different," Rudy told her.

"So that's why you give them dancing lessons?" she questioned.

"That's right," Rudy affirmed. "So with that being said, shall we dance?"

"I'm not much of a dancer," Misty replied shyly.

"That isn't true. I still remember when I first met you at the Fuchsia Festival. You were great. Give it a try!" Rudy urged.

"Well, alright," Misty relented as she and Rudy went to go dance with his Pokemon.

Misty found it was actually quite fun to dance with Rudy and the Pokemon. She hadn't had a night this fun in a while. It had been an excellent week so far. She met Rudy again, had won the water Pokemon tournament, and now was having a blast with him. After a few minutes Rudy stopped and gave her a smile.

"Hold on for just a second. I'm going to check on Mahri to make sure she's getting ready for bed. I'll be back in just a second so wait here," Rudy told her as he went to walk out of the room.

Misty nodded her head. She then turned around and joined back into dancing with the Pokemon. Despite never meeting her before, they all didn't seem to mind and were happy just because she was with them. Misty smiled at how friendly all of Rudy's Pokemon seemed to be. They were welcoming her with no problem even though Rudy wasn't present.

Misty thought maybe she should let out her own Pokemon and let them join in on dancing. It might be good to let her Pokemon meet Rudy's. That's when she turned red again. Sure. It's always fun for her Pokemon to meet others, but why would it be important? Could it actually be because she was planning on having her Pokemon interact with Rudy's more than once? Why would she plan that? Could she actually be considering Rudy's offer?

Before she could dwell on it further, she saw Rudy come running back into the room, his eyes wide. He stopped in front of Misty for just a second before speaking. Misty could immediately tell something was wrong. The Pokemon also stopped dancing upon seeing Rudy's look.

"Mahri isn't in her room! I just checked the other rooms around the house, and she isn't there, either!" he said in panicked tone.

"What?!" Misty exclaimed.

"Let's all go look for her! All of us!" Rudy told his Pokemon. They all nodded and left the room in search of the young girl.

As they passed, Rudy noticed he was only missing one Pokemon, his Seel. That was really weird. Why wouldn't Seel be in here with the other Pokemon? Sure, Mahri played with it quite often, but not when it was this close to her bedtime. Besides, she wasn't anywhere in the house to play with it so the only place she would take it would be…

"Oh no," Rudy muttered as his face paled and took off running.

"What is it?" Misty asked frantically as she followed Rudy out of the room.

"The ocean," was all Rudy said.

* * *

Rudy and Misty were dashing towards the shoreline as fast they could. They didn't know why, but they just had a really bad feeling about this. It was almost as if they knew they wouldn't find Mahri just happily swimming well away from the whirlpools. Deciding to skip the shoreline and instead go for the cliff overlooking the ocean for a better view, the two headed there.

As soon as they made it to the cliff, they heard a scream which they knew to be Mahri. They glanced wildly around in the waters below for any sign of the girl but found none. The nighttime was making it extremely hard to see. That also ruled out binoculars to try to find Mahri, also.

"Mahri! It's me! Where are you!?" Rudy shouted.

"Big bro-!" Mahri began to scream but was cut off as she was dragged under the water again. Seel was able to pull her back up, but it would be able to do nothing once they got to that whirlpool which wasn't far away at all now.

"Help me!" Mahri screamed again.

Rudy grit his teeth. It was too late to go back and get help now. He had an idea of where her location was by her screams, but unless he was in the water, there would be no way to locate her. His Pokemon were on the other side of the island so that wasn't an option. He was about to hastily jump in the water himself, but he turned to Misty and found she already had a pokeball out.

"Go, Gyarados!" she shouted and released it.

The sea serpent Pokemon landed with a huge splash in the ocean. Understanding the urgency of the situation, it lifted the top part of its back up for Misty to jump on. Misty leaped off the cliff and fell a short distance onto Gyarados' back.

"Misty!" Rudy cried.

"We'll be fine, Rudy! Gyarados is a really strong swimmer!" she replied hurriedly before pointing her index finger forward. "Gyarados, let's go get Mahri!"

The atrocious Pokemon gave a cry and began swimming as fast as it could towards where the young girl presumably was. Misty knew she had to be near the whirlpool, and after getting close enough, she was finally able to spot Mahri and Seel in the dark ocean, though barely. Despite the speed at which they were moving at, it wouldn't be fast enough to get to Mahri and Seel in time. They were too far out. Mahri let out a final scream as she reached the whirlpool. The strong swirl of water pulled her in again, but this time, she didn't resurface.

"No!" Misty screamed as she and Gyarados tried their hardest to reach her.

They were almost at the whirlpool now. It would be dangerous even on Gyarados' back, but Misty had to make her decision now. There could be no hesitation as Mahri's life was on the line. Misty took a deep breath.

"Gyarados! We're going in!" she shouted to it.

Rudy himself had managed to see what happened. Going by the direction Misty was headed, he managed to see a speck being pulled towards a whirlpool which he knew to be his sister. Rudy's eyes widened in horror when he saw Mahri go in, but they went even wider when he saw what Misty was about to do, too. Standing there on the cliff side, Rudy felt so helpless as all he could do was watch.

Gyarados reached the whirlpool about ten seconds later. Understanding Misty's earlier command, Gyarados didn't waste any time before plunging into the edge of the whirlpool. Misty had taken a deep breath again to prepare herself for the underwater assault, but even that couldn't prepare her for the whirlpool's strength As soon as she was in the water, the whirlpool immediately threatened to pull her off Gyarados, but she held on tight. There was no way she could let go.

Gyarados continued to power through the whirlpool as hard as it could. Misty was trying to see as best as she could underwater for any sign of Mahri or Seel. A minute passed, but she still couldn't find them. Misty herself was starting to get pretty tired from having to hold onto Gyarados. She knew if she let go, there really would be no hope of saving Mahri. She wanted to scream for the girl, but being underwater prevented her from doing so. It was another thirty seconds before Misty suddenly spotted something in the darkness. It was extremely hard to see, but it was there. Deciding she didn't have time to wonder if that was a body or not, Misty steered Gyarados to move towards that object as fast as it could. Gyarados slowly turned its body in that direction and swam towards it. As they got closer, Misty's eyes almost lit up when she realized that was definitely Mahri with Seel next to her.

Misty's face just as quickly put on a terrified expression as she saw the two were unconscious and floating even further down the whirlpool. She stuck out her hand and reached for the girl. It was at that moment that Misty realized that she was in her own need for air. She pushed aside the feeling as best as she could as she grabbed Mahri's hand and pulled the girl towards her as hard as she could. It was rather excruciating as the current wanted to pull back. Gyarados was able to block some of the whirlpool's pull with its large body, but Misty still felt like her arm was about to pop out of its socket.

With a final heave that made her want to scream, Misty was able to pull Mahri to her. She then wrapped an arm around the girl to keep her from going anywhere as Gyarados caught Seel with its large body. It then charged towards the surface as quickly yet carefully as it could. It knew it couldn't go too fast or else its occupants would fall off. Misty herself began to crave oxygen due to low long she had been underwater. She wouldn't be able to hold her breath much longer until she started to feel dizzy.

Everyone finally broke the water's surface. Misty took a huge gulp of air and let the oxygen run its course through her body. Misty felt like it could be the breath of life. Misty then took the time to check how Mahri was, but wanted to gasp as she found the girl wasn't breathing.

"Gyarados…get to the beach now!" she commanded frantically before gasping again from being short of breath.

Rudy breathed a huge sigh of relief as he saw Misty come out of the water. Seeing the direction they were going, Rudy took off that way to meet them at the beach. He then reached the beach and waited for them, his fist shaking. Despite his relief, it soon turned to horror when he saw the frantic expression on Misty's face.

Gyarados finally reached the shore and lowered its head. Misty immediately ran off with Mahri in her arms while Gyarados used its tail to gently set Seel down on the beach. Being a water-type, there was no danger of Seel drowning. It had just passed out due to exhaustion of trying to help Mahri. It would be okay. Right now, though, their attention was on Mahri.

"Misty! Is Mahri…," Rudy began, but Misty cut him off.

"She's not breathing!" Misty cried as she hurriedly set the girl down on the sand.

"What?!" Rudy exclaimed

Misty then bent her head down to see if she could hear a heartbeat from Mahri. She almost felt her blood run cold as she heard none. Seeing no other option, Misty began administering CPR on Mahri.

Rudy felt tears sting his eyes as he watched the scene before him. He placed his hands over his heart. He couldn't believe this was happening! He had taken his eyes off of his little sister for just a few minutes and now look what was going on! To make matters worse, he felt extremely helpless as he watched Misty continue to use CPR in the hope of reviving Mahri.

" _Come on, Mahri!"_ Misty thought frantically. Though her time with the girl was short, Misty had really grown to like her. It was almost as Mahri said, she was almost like the younger sister that Misty never had.

Two minutes passed, and now with each passing second, Rudy and Misty's hopes began run out. Misty had been at it for a while now, but there were still no results. It was with growing dread that they realized if Mahri hadn't been revived by now, there was a chance she wouldn't at all.

"Oh, no. Mahri, please don't go like this," Rudy muttered as tears started to fall from his eyes. He had let his sister drown and felt like a failure as a brother. He felt like he could do nothing but pray, and he began to do just that.

Tears were burning Misty's eyes, as well, as she went in for one more try. She compressed her hands and began pushing firmly, but still not too hard, on Mahri's chest. It couldn't end like this. Misty had grown really close to these two, and to have one die like this couldn't happen. Mahri's time was too short, and she and Misty had so many more adventures ahead of them. They were supposed to have so much fun together and do stuff they couldn't do by themselves, like pseudo siblings are supposed to!

Misty gave one final push and let out gasp at what happened next. The young girl began sputtering and spitting up seawater. Rudy's eyes opened at the sound, and he gazed hopefully as he saw what Mahri was doing. She started coughing rather violently as more seawater came out of her mouth.

"Come on, Mahri! That's right! Spit it up!" Misty shouted in encouragement.

After a few more coughs and splutters, the young girl began taking short but frequent breaths. Misty and Rudy finally relaxed now that they saw Mahri was alive. However, it was nothing compared to when they actually saw Mahri's eyes open slightly. She slowly turned towards Misty and Rudy and let out a very weak smile.

"Rudy? Misty?" she whispered.

"Mahri!" Rudy cried as he knelt down in the sand to hug his sister.

He wanted to give her the biggest hug of her life but knew better right now. His hug was gentle but full of love. Finally letting his emotions get the better of him, Rudy began to cry openly, not caring how much of a mess he looked right now.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Mahri! You had us so worried! I came so close to losing you!" Rudy cried again.

"I'm sorry, Rudy. I promise I won't go swimming by myself again," Mahri mumbled.

"We'll talk about that later. Right now, I'm just so glad you're alright," Rudy replied as he continued to hug his sister.

Misty watched the heartwarming scene from the side. It was so great that Mahri was going to be okay now. That was way too close for comfort, and Misty was really starting to lose hope. Her efforts paid off, and Mahri would live. The redhead turned to her Gyarados before giving it a nod and a smile to show her appreciation for its efforts before returning it to its pokeball.

"You know it was Misty that rescued you," Rudy told Mahri. "She saved you from that whirlpool."

"Really?" Mahri asked weakly as she looked at Misty.

"Yeah. It was me. I'm really glad you're okay," Misty said shyly.

"Thank you, Misty. You're the greatest," Mahri said before shutting her eyes due to her tiredness.

"I think it's time I put you to bed," Rudy said to Mahri, the tears still running down his face. "It's been a rough night."

Rudy then gently picked up Mahri and began to carry her back to their home. Misty followed them. As they walked slowly, both of their minds were rushing with thoughts, Misty's in particular. She couldn't stop thinking about what was going through her mind as she tried to rescue Mahri. She surprised herself for thinking of Mahri as a younger sister that she didn't want to lose. What was more, she also was thinking about the future and all of the fun she could have with Rudy and Mahri. The only problem was she didn't live here, but she was picturing it like she was. Rudy and Mahri really did mean a lot to her.

" _Am I…seriously considering Rudy's invitation for me to stay here?"_ she thought.

* * *

Misty waited patiently outside of the door from Mahri's bedroom. Rudy was tucking Mahri in and was making sure she was okay. Her mind was still reeling from the events that had happened so far tonight…from Mahri saying Misty was like a big sister…to Rudy asking her to stay with him…and now this. Despite the late hour, she wasn't the least bit tired and was still very much awake.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw Rudy quietly slip out of Mahri's bedroom and close the door behind him. He had a gentle smile on his face before he let out a sigh.

"How is she, Rudy?" Misty asked automatically.

"Mahri's still a little shaken up, but she will be just fine. She's asleep now," Rudy answered in a whisper.

"I'm so glad," Misty breathed in relief.

"Misty, I haven't said this yet, but thank you so much. You saved my sister's life," Rudy said seriously.

"Oh. Mahri's a really sweet girl. I just did what anybody else would," Misty replied modestly.

"No. You didn't," Rudy muttered as he looked Misty straight in the eye. "Not everyone would've risked their life and dived into a whirlpool at nighttime like you did. It was really heroic."

Misty blushed as she looked at Rudy. The truth was Misty had just acted on instinct. She wasn't looking to be heroic or anything like that when she rescued Mahri. She had grown rather fond of the younger girl and was just looking out for her. That's right, and Misty suddenly realized she wanted to keep looking out for Mahri. Misty's eyes lit up when Rudy suddenly grabbed her hands in his own.

"Misty, I know it's only been a short time, but I think you are the most amazing girl I've ever met in my life," Rudy told her.

"I-I'm…amazing?" Misty stuttered.

"That's right," Rudy nodded.

That was something no one had ever called her before. She was called nice, sweet, cool…annoying, but never amazing. Being called something like that felt rather new to her. It made Misty feel really nervous all of a sudden, but she actually liked it!

"Rudy…I-I don't know what to say," Misty mumbled as her face heated up.

"I do," Rudy said instead before he took a deep breath. "Misty, this past week with you has been some of the best days in my life. I felt a small spark at the Fuchsia Festival when we first met, but I've really felt something for you now. It's how we can talk for hours at a time and never have a dull moment. It's how we have so much in common and are happy just to be with each other."

"Oh, my gosh, Rudy. What are you saying?" Misty asked, though she had a pretty good idea but couldn't believe it.

"Misty…I really like you. There is no one I'd rather be with than you," Rudy stated.

Misty's breath caught in her throat. A boy actually told her that he liked her! Her! Misty Waterflower! A girl who was always deemed as short-tempered and a tomboy! A girl who always lived in the shadow of her seemingly perfect older sisters! A boy actually liked her! Misty's heart was racing uncontrollably right now. So this is what it felt like when Ash and Serena confessed to each other, and Misty was sure of one thing. It made her incredibly happy.

"Oh, Rudy. I like you, too!" Misty blurted.

"Misty, the invitation I said to you earlier stands now more than ever. I really mean it when I say I want you to stay here on the island with me. Please say you will," Rudy said hopefully.

Earlier when Rudy had asked that, Misty wasn't entirely sure. She had so many feelings of doubt about how things would work out with Rudy. Then there were her other friends whom she's traveled with for over a year now. With these most recent events and Rudy confessing that he really likes her, it actually changed Misty's views a little bit. She knew without a shadow of a doubt she would be happy here. With that in the mind, the answer was pretty clear to Misty.

"Yes. I'd love to stay here," Misty answered with a sniff as tears came to her eyes. "I truly feel like I belong here."

"Misty, that's so wonderful. You have no idea how happy this makes me," Rudy smiled genuinely.

After that, neither of them said anything for a while. They just simply stared in each others' eyes, each overcome with emotion. It was one of the few times either of them were at loss of what to say. Well, if they couldn't get their feelings out in words, actions certainly would. The two of them subconsciously began leaning closer to each other. By the time their minds registered what was going on, their lips were only inches apart, and even then, that didn't stop what they did next.

A second later, Misty was having her first kiss.

* * *

 **Misty gets a little romance now, too, in her life. She has now told Rudy she will stay on the island with him, but will she keep her decision? A lot can happen in a day, but then again, it might not.  
**

 **Ash's gym battle is next. It is more or less the same type of battle, but the Pokemon used are different so I still think it's a fresh read.**

 **I'll see you all on November 5! Thanks for all of the reviews and support. It always means a lot and I ready every single review I get, even ones that are posted in my last story in the Kanto arc. It's always exciting when I see the Kanto arc get new reviews which means people are still discovering it.**

 **Chapter 13: Misty's Choice**

 **Answering the Questions:**

 _What do you think of my idea about adding Froakie to Ash's team early?  
_

 ** _I read it, and it's a great idea and very creative. However, it's like I said before: the only reason Serena is getting Fennekin early is because it's her first and signature Pokemon. The same can't be said for Ash's Froakie. Don't get wrong. I love Froakie/Frogadier/soon Greninja, but I don't see a true reason why it should receive special attention and get to Ash's team early. Let's be honest. I'm sure if this fic was made a few years earlier, people would want me to give Ash Chimchar early. Everyone is on a Greninja high right now, but a couple of years from now, it will be just another Pokemon on Ash's team, and most people will remember it as just a cool Pokemon on Ash's team, and then let's jump to my story in future. Any future person who reads this will be wondering why the heck I put Froakie in the story early because they weren't part of the Greninja bandwagon. My response...because it's cool. That's a lame excuse. Greninja is cool, yes, but why just him? Let's just add every Pokemon that is cool on Ash's team early. Let's see, I'll give him Treecko at the end of Orange Islands, Chimchar in Johto, maybe a Gible, too, and even evolve it into Garchomp by the Johto Pokemon League...you see where I'm going with this. It isn't fair to Ash's other Pokemon to give Greninja a special role in this fic. Hopefully this clears everything up to everyone about why Ash isn't getting Froakie early.  
_**

 _I know that Team Rocket is really in Johto as of now, but will anything they do there have an effect in the current arc?_

 ** _No._**

 _Will Serena's Poliwag evolve into either Poliwrath or Politoed?  
_

 ** _Hmm...which one indeed. It will definitely become one of the two in late Johto. I won't say anything about Misty's Poliwag because of...reasons._**

 _Why are you not adding the Crystal Onix story line?_

 ** _Because it's filler. I wouldn't be able to make it different enough to be worth rereading in this fic. It would just simply be "The Crystal Onix" episode with Serena and Leaf there. Boring._**

 _When Misty leaves the group, will it be for a different reason than in canon?_

 ** _Yes. It will._**

 _Are you going to do any more torture/rape scenes in this story?_

 ** _Wait. Rape? When the heck was THAT in my story? For the record, no. There certainly won't be. Torture? I don't know. I don't have any more scenes planned out in the story where that happens at the moment._**

 _Do you plan on getting Serena's Poliwag served some humble pie like how Serena's Scyther did a few chapters ago?_

 ** _Hmmm...not really humble pie as it isn't arrogant like Serena's Scyther was. It's just a troll. Something will come about that may make it change its attitude, though._**

 _Will Dratini evolve into Dragonite at some point?_

 ** _Absolutely, but I won't say when. I do have something cool planned for it, though._**

 _Other than Lugia, will any other Johto Pokemon make an appearance?  
_

 ** _Well, Slowking, Togepi, and Marill have already made appearances. In regards to any others, there might._**

 _Will Red and/or Riley appear in the Power of One arc? And possibly Ash's Aerodactyl?_

 ** _Riley definitely will, but Red and Aerodactyl will only have a cameo._**


	13. Misty's Choice

**A/N: Here is the edited version of the sneak peek some of you saw. For those of you who didn't, here is Ash's gym battle with Rudy and Misty's final decision for what she does and why. Please read on and enjoy.**

 **A few of you said Rudy and Misty's relationship was rushed. I know it is. That's actually addressed in this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 13: Misty's Choice

It was finally the morning of Ash's gym battle with Rudy. Getting used to the fast pace of the Orange Islands, it had been too long for Ash. Granted, he was really able to train his Pokemon like he wanted during this time, but his excitement was getting the better of him. He was really pumped as he would be only one badge away from qualifying for the Orange League after this one.

The group was currently seated in the Pokemon Center cafeteria where Ash and Pikachu were shoveling down their breakfast as fast as they could. Serena, Leaf, and Tracey were watching Ash while a sweat drop formed down their heads. Ash was clearly not only battle starving but food starving, as well.

"Be careful, Ash. Remember, your gym battle with Rudy isn't until after lunch," Leaf reminded.

"I know that, Leaf, but I want to train my Pokemon before I battle today," Ash replied between mouthfuls.

"Pika Pi," Pikachu added between its smaller portions, mainly consisting of some dish with ketchup.

Togepi had come over to try to mimic Pikachu by eating quickly, but Serena quickly pulled it away before it could choke. She then frowned at the two gluttons. Ash and Pikachu put on sheepish smiles for setting a bad example before eating a lot slower than before.

"You're training Hitmonchan, Muk, and Kingler before your match?" Tracey inquired. "Won't that tire them out?"

"I'm training the other three Pokemon I have with me," Ash answered. "They need just as much exercise, too. After today, all of my Pokemon can rest."

"Pika Pi," Pikachu added again. It was looking forward to an intense work out. Since Ash seriously began training his Pokemon on Mandarin Island South, the yellow rodent really began to enjoy them, as well as the other Pokemon.

The group was rather surprised at how seriously Ash was starting to take his training. He had been regularly rotating his Pokemon so he could have one on one time with them to figure out what their greatest weakness was. It turned out Ash and the group were finding out weaknesses in his Pokemon they didn't know existed before. For instance, in Kingler's case, it excelled in close range fighting but was terrible with long ranged attacks. They remembered that almost cost it the match when Ash battled Mandy a while back. The same could be said with Hitmonchan which was why Ash was teaching it to project its elemental punches into beams of energy.

"Just make sure you don't exhaust yourself, Ash," Serena told him. "I want you to be fully prepared against Rudy."

"Heh. Don't worry, Serena. That's what this food is for," Ash grinned before he finally realized something was off.

Normally, Misty would've definitely said something now about Ash's eating habits. She was always quick to have a witty comment when it came to him, in which case he would reply with an equally witty comment. It wasn't that Ash was missing the banter between them, it just felt strange.

They cast a glance over at Misty who barely even seemed to notice them. She was looking down at her plate of food and didn't appear to have taken more than a couple of bites. All Misty seemed to be doing was circling her fork around her plate before occasionally picking at it. She almost seemed a little troubled and was in deep thought.

"Hey, Mist. What's up?" Ash asked her.

"Hmm…what?" Misty asked vaguely as she finally looked up from her food at Ash.

"Are you really thinking about Rudy right now, Misty? He isn't even around," Ash said.

"Well…sort of, but not entirely," Misty answered truthfully.

"That makes no sense," Ash muttered.

"Don't worry about it, Ash," Misty huffed a little.

"Speaking of Rudy, you didn't come in until really late last night when you were with him. Did anything go on worth mentioning?" Serena asked in interest.

Misty sighed. Truth be told, a lot did happen last night. She hadn't mentioned to the rest of the group about when she saved Mahri from nearly drowning. There was no need for them to know about her heroic efforts. It would just be between her, Rudy, and Mahri. Then the biggest thing happened. Rudy had actually asked her to stay and live with him on this island. At first, Misty wasn't sure and merely brushed it off by saying she would think about it. However, after the incident with Mahri, she realized how much she really liked and cared for those two and knew she would be extremely happy here. That was when she took Rudy up on his offer and agreed to stay.

Then she kissed him…

All of this was a blur for Misty. Now that it was the next morning, all the events came rushing back to her. She had actually agreed to stay here with Rudy. That meant that she would no long be traveling with Ash, Serena, Leaf, and Tracey. As soon as Ash's Trovita Island match was over, they would leave, and she would stay here.

Misty had considered her feelings for leaving Rudy behind, but had she considered her feelings for this group leaving without her? She had been with them for over a year now, and they had all grown close. Rather than being so sure of her decision to stay with Rudy now, Misty just had her thoughts in a jumbled mess right now.

"Sorry, guys. Yes. I really am thinking about a lot right now with Rudy. He wants for me to stay with him on this island," Misty said after a moment.

This immediately caught everyone's attention, and they all stared at Misty with wide eyes. Rudy actually invited her to stay?! They had considered a few possibilities of what might happen, whether it be staying in contact through Pokegear…or going their separate ways as sad as it would be. They weren't really thinking about the possibility Misty might stay here!

"Woah! Seriously?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yeah," Misty answered lamely.

"Well, what did you tell him?" Serena wondered.

"I-I agreed to it," Misty replied a little quietly.

"Wait. You're leaving us and staying here? You won't be with us anymore?" Serena questioned.

"I-I don't know. I'm just a little confused right now. I need some fresh air," Misty said.

She then stood up from her seat and walked out of the cafeteria, leaving her tray of unfinished food behind. Normally, Ash and Pikachu would take this opportunity to eat the rest of Misty's food, but they were still in a lot of shock, along with everyone else. There was actually the possibility that Misty wouldn't be traveling with them anymore after today. First Brock, and now Misty.

* * *

Misty was standing at the edge of a cliff as she looked out to sea. It was actually the same cliff that she had jumped off of the previous night to save Mahri. The morning breeze from the ocean felt so refreshing. It was working wonders to help clear her head a little and think better.

Even though she already agreed to stay with Rudy, Misty was honestly starting to have second thoughts. It wasn't just about not being with those she traveled with anymore. If that was the only reason, Misty would choose Rudy in a heartbeat. It also had to do with Misty's dream. Now that she's had time to think about it, Misty began to realize the reason she was traveling in the first place. It was because of her dream to be a master of water Pokemon and prove herself. She had taken a major step by winning the Water Pokemon competition, but could it continue if she stayed here with Rudy?

The sound of footsteps on the soft grass alerted Misty. She didn't expect to see Rudy as they had both agreed to give each other a small break from last night. Rudy believed it would also allow Misty time to spend with her friends before she stayed. She almost was avoiding them, however.

"Hey, Misty," the sound of Serena's voice spoke, confirming to Misty it wasn't Rudy.

"Oh. Hey, Serena," Misty replied a little vaguely. It wasn't that Misty was unhappy Serena came. She was just so caught up in her thoughts.

"What's wrong, Misty? You didn't sound so sure of yourself when you were talking about Rudy back in the cafeteria. Normally, you can't stop when it comes to him," Serena pointed out.

"I'm just…conflicted right now. I guess," Misty said lamely.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Serena asked kindly as she went to stand next to Misty.

Misty nodded her head in response. There was just something she really had to know when it came to Rudy, and Serena would be the only girl whom she was close to who could answer these questions. With a sigh, Misty sat down on the soft island grass and pulled her knees in close. Taking the cue to sit as well, Serena joined her.

"Serena," Misty began. "How exactly did you feel around Ash before you two began dating?"

Serena nodded her head at the question before replying. She had an idea where this was going.

"Well, it sounds silly now, but I've always liked Ash since the day I met him. I always wanted to be around him. I always cared what he thought about, and anytime I was away from him, I felt like I was missing out," Serena replied.

"I see," Misty muttered before continuing, "And now?"

"My feelings for Ash have grown so much since we've been a couple. It isn't just a crush anymore like it was when I first met him. The feelings I have for him are real. I couldn't imagine any future without him. I no longer feel the need to be with him every moment like I used to because we both know how we feel. It's okay even if we're apart for a time," Serena answered.

"That's…wow," Misty stated, not knowing how else to put it.

"Were you asking me these things to see if you have real feelings for Rudy?" Serena asked astutely.

"Yeah," Misty replied quietly.

Misty began to go over all of her thoughts with Rudy. There was no other person she would rather be with on the planet right now. She liked everything about Rudy. She always wanted to be around him, and now that she's met him again, she felt like she was missing out on something. She was always thinking about him, and he confirmed he was always thinking about her.

"I think…I really do have feelings for Rudy, after all," Misty said after a moment.

"I'm happy you've found someone like him, Misty," Serena replied as she leaned over and gave a side hug to Misty.

Misty smiled. "Heehee. Yeah. I've found a boyfriend. We haven't said it, but…I think it's pretty much confirmed since we kissed last night."

"You two kissed?!" Serena exclaimed brightly.

"We did," Misty nodded.

"So…does that mean you've made up your mind about staying here?" Serena asked as her smiled dropped a little.

"That's the problem. I'm not sure," Misty said, losing her happy look to go back to a more troubled one.

"Why wouldn't you be?" Serena asked in concern.

"I love all of you guys: you, Ash, Brock, and now Leaf and Tracey, but you guys aren't what's keeping me from deciding," Misty said honestly.

"Don't worry about it, Misty. I understand," Serena said. She didn't think that would be the reason.

"It all has to do with my dream to be a water Pokemon Master. I couldn't travel and accomplish that if I stayed here," Misty sighed.

"Ohhhhhh," Serena nodded in understanding.

"Yeah. My dream to travel and prove myself as a great water Pokemon trainer was the very reason I left home to begin with. I won the water Pokemon tournament recently, but that was only the starting point for me. I can't quit now that I'm ahead," Misty stated.

"Did you talk about this with Rudy any?" Serena asked curiously.

"No. I haven't said a word about it, and the worst part is I told him I would already stay with him," Misty sighed.

"Misty…," Serena trailed. No wonder Misty felt confused.

"Serena, I remember a while back you and Ash had a similar problem. Your dream to finish the Battle Chateau and Ash's desire to go into the next region quickly clashed. I know that everything worked out in the end when you beat the Battle Chateau and battled all of the Chatelains at once, but what if that wasn't the case? What would you have done?" Misty questioned.

Serena looked down in thought. She had no idea what she was going to do. Truthfully, she and Ash didn't have an alternate plan. If things didn't work out the way they did, one of them would end up putting their goals on hold for the other so they could stay together. That was exactly the situation Misyt was in. Unlike Serena, Misty didn't have a convenient turn of events. In the end, it was just as she and Ash had feared all long. Either Rudy or Misty would end up having their hearts broken.

"Misty, I hate to say it, but I don't know. I'd like to say I would tell Ash to go one to the next region without me, but I know he would never do that. Truthfully, I would probably be selfish and want Ash to stay with me. I know I said we could be apart knowing our feelings wouldn't change, but it would still hurt a lot on the inside to know our dreams were separating us rather than bringing us together," Serena muttered sadly.

"I just don't know what to do. My dream to be a water Pokemon Master means everything to me, and I've finally given it the boost it needed. I really like Rudy and don't want to be away from him, and I see Mahri like a little sister. I know I would be happy there, but that would mean giving up my dream to be a water Pokemon master, or at the very least slow it down tremendously. I can only do so much on one island," Misty said.

"Misty, I know you wanted to avoid doing this, but I think you need to talk to Rudy about this," Serena said seriously.

"I can't right now. He requested that we be away from each other until the match so we could have time to think things through and so I could spend time with you guys before I stayed here. Not to mention, he's probably preparing of the match. I don't want to distract him by bringing this up," Misty sighed.

"Well, Misty, I think that no matter what, you'll make the right decision in the end," Serena told Misty as she gave her a light pat on the shoulder and stood up. "Just know that no matter what, me, Ash, Leaf, Tracey, and even Rudy will support your decision."

"Thanks, Serena. I'm so happy you all have my back in this," Misty replied with a small smile.

"Of course," Serena nodded before turning to leave, giving Misty some time to herself.

Misty continued thinking. Serena was right. She was stressing out about this, but she had such great friends, and Rudy and Mahri were great, too. She shouldn't feel so bummed knowing that everyone was supporting her decision. Misty still had time to think, and she knew that no matter what, it would be for the best.

* * *

It was finally time for Ash's gym match with Rudy. The group was now floating over in a hot air balloon to one of the rocky protrusions coming from the ocean. Upon closer inspection, they could see a pokeball symbol drawn out on the rock to signify an official gym platform. This didn't really make them any less wary. It was still a very long way down to the ocean. If any of their Pokemon fell in, it would be quite an ordeal to get them out.

Ash was being fearless, though, recalling his battle in Blaine's gym. No doubt that falling in an ocean was a lot safer than falling into volcanic lava. Besides, Rudy assured everyone that plenty of people had water Pokemon handy that could rescue their Pokemon should something bad happen. If a Pokemon did fall, however, it was an automatic loss for that Pokemon.

The hot air balloon was lowered onto the rock where only Ash and Rudy got out. There wouldn't be enough room for everyone to watch comfortably on a rock so they would observe from the hot air balloon, or in the judge's case, on the back of a Pidgeot.

"Be careful, Ash. You can do this. You've trained extra hard for this match and are ready," Serena told him with a light kiss on the cheek.

Ash blushed and chuckled to himself, earning a snicker from Pikachu and a happy laugh from Togepi. "Hahaha. Yeah. I can't lose after you gave me one of those. I'll win for sure!"

"Well, Ash, let's head over here so we can start the battle then. Your challenge is officially accepted," Rudy said before turning to Misty, "This match is dedicated for you, Misty."

Misty smiled in return despite her troubled thoughts. Rudy had told her it would be okay if she rooted for Ash, but that was still a sweet gesture.

"I can't wait for you to see what a great trainer my brother is," Mahri said from Misty's side.

"I'm sure he's excellent, Mahri," Misty grinned.

The balloon then lifted up from the ground. Tracey, Leaf, and Serena were all rooting for Ash while Mahri and all of the trainers from the gym were rooting for Rudy. Misty, however, was a little caught in the middle. She recognized that Ash needed to win this so he could qualify for the Orange League, and of course, she wanted that for him.

Ash and Rudy then went over to their respective sides before staring into each other's eyes. Rudy gave a flip of his hair before speaking.

"Remember, Ash. You have to win three out of three. A single loss with your Pokemon and you lose and will have to try again another time. I feel if you can't beat all of my Pokemon, then you won't stand a chance in the Orange League!" Rudy told him.

"I agree! I've trained my Pokemon hard for this moment, and we're all ready!" Ash declared.

"In that case, choose a fighting-type Pokemon, and we'll get started!" Rudy nodded.

"Alright! I choose you, Hitmonchan!" Ash shouted as he threw the ball forward.

Hitmonchan appeared from the pokeball seconds later. It began hopping back and forth on its feet and pretending to punch invisible enemies. It had been itching for battle after so long. Those training sessions with Serena's Hitmonlee just weren't enough for the hot blooded Pokemon sometimes.

"In that case, I'll counter your Hitmonchan with a Hitmonlee!" Rudy yelled as he threw his own pokeball forward to reveal the kicking fiend.

Hitmonchan's eyes narrowed at seeing its opposite. Then it had to remember that this was a different Hitmonlee than its training partner. That was definitely apparent as this Hitmonlee didn't sit down to mediate. It looked quite ready to fight. Hopefully, the experience it had with fighting Serena's Hitmonlee would help it win the match. Then again, this opponent's fighting style may be completely different.

"The first match will be between Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. This round will end when either one of the Pokemon are unable to battle or fall off the battlefield. Are you all ready?" the judge announced.

Hitmonchan crouched down a little bit and brought its fists close to its face, ready to deliver a series of blows as soon as Ash called it. Ash turned his hat backwards, and Pikachu stood by his side and sparked its cheeks. It wouldn't be participating in this match, but it was fired up, too. Serena, Leaf, and Tracey all had their eyes fixed on the match while Misty was glancing back and forth from Rudy to Ash.

"Begin!" the judge shouted.

"Go, and use Rolling Kick, Hitmonlee!" Rudy called out immediately.

Hitmonlee began dashing across the battlefield to get a running start for its roll. Hitmonchan braced itself as it waited for Ash's command.

"That Hitmonlee is fast! Slow it down with Ice Punch!" Ash called.

Hitmonchan then slammed its right fist down onto the ground. The punchy Pokemon then began to recall its recent training with Ash. He told it to focus on projecting the power outside of its gloves for its elemental punches. Hitmonchan began to do just that as it tried to expel the freezing feeling in its fist. Ash and Hitmonchan both smiled as a blast of ice shot out from its fist towards Hitmonlee. It flew through the air and struck Hitmonlee right in the chest, taking it by surprise.

"Hey. That wasn't too shabby of your Hitmonchan, but we can counter ice!" Rudy said before shouting, "Use Blaze Kick!"

Hitmonlee then brought back its leg before roundhouse kicking the blast of ice in a blaze of fire. The fire erupted from its foot before easily overtaking Hitmonchan's ice and crashing into it, sending the punchy Pokemon skidding back several yards, but not close enough to worry about falling off.

"That's alright, Hitmonchan! We can shake that off! You still pulled that technique off perfectly!" Ash encouraged.

"Ash teaching his Hitmonchan those types of techniques really help with its versatility in battle. Most Hitmonchan struggle in some matches because they are only close range attackers," Tracey said as he observed the match from binoculars.

"I bet Hitmonchan picked up that technique so quickly because of all of the training it does with your Hitmonlee," Leaf said with a knowing smile at Serena.

"Hmmhmm. Yeah. Ash's Hitmonchan and my Hitmonlee are the best of friends despite being complete opposites," Serena giggled.

"Hitmonchan! Use Agility and then Comet Punch so you can match Hitmonlee's speed!" Ash yelled.

Hitmonchan became a blur as it ran up to Hitmonlee and began unleashing a flurry of punches on it.

"Use Endure, Hitmonlee!" Rudy countered.

Hitmonlee brought its arms up and began blocking Hitmonchan's flurry of attacks. Hitmonchan's punches were extremely powerful, but they weren't doing much damage because of Hitmonlee's Endure. Rudy then flipped his hair and smiled.

"Good job, Hitmonlee. Now use Revenge!" he called out.

Hitmonlee's eyes glowed red for brief before it reached over and actually caught one of Hitmonchan's punches. The punchy Pokemon blinked in confusion that it had actually done that before it heard Ash's next command.

"Mach Punch!" Ash hollered.

Hitmonchan reeled back its other fist before thrusting out with the speed of bullet, striking Rudy's Hitmonlee across the face. The kicking fiend jerked to the side before its eyes glowed red again, signifying that Revenge was still activated. It then thrust its right leg out and gave Hitmonchan an extra hard kick.

Hitmonchan gasped in pain before flying up into the air. It was unable to steady itself as it was trying enough to just breathe. That supercharged revenge kick had completely knocked the wind out of it. Rudy then decided to take advantage of this situation.

"Use Hi Jump Kick, Hitmonlee!" Rudy yelled.

Hitmonlee leaped into the air after Hitmonchan and soon reached the distance Hitmonchan was at. Hitmonlee then brought its leg up and slammed its foot down over Hitmonchan's head. The punchy Pokemon tried to yell out but couldn't as it was still trying to get air into its lungs. Instead, it was sent speeding towards the ground where it landed with a resounding crash, sending up a cloud of dirt from the rocky ground.

Ash winced once he saw that. He knew that must have caused a lot of damage to Hitmonchan. There was nothing it could've done to defend itself from that.

"Yay! Go, big brother!" Mahri cheered from one of the balloons.

Serena grimaced upon seeing that. One would think that Hitmonchan would have an advantage in this match, but her Hitmonlee and Rudy's Hitmonlee had completely different battling styles. While her Hitmonlee was calm and collected and preferred waiting for the right moment to attack, this Hitmonlee seemed like Ash's Hitmonchan and liked to rush attacks. This may cause Hitmonchan's downfall if it was comparing the two.

Hitmonchan was shown to be on one knee and panting once the dust cleared. It had already appeared to take a lot of damage from that last assault. It then looked up and saw Hitmonlee descending from the sky for a Mega Kick.

"Quick, Hitmonchan! Counter that Mega Kick with a Mega Punch!" Ash called out.

Hitmonchan thrust its right fist out with all of its might just before Hitmonlee's foot could strike it. The two Pokemon's attacks clashed, and soon it was Hitmonlee's foot versus Hitmonchan's fist. The two Pokemon appeared evenly matched, but it couldn't keep up forever. Ash's eyes lit up as he knew what to do.

"I know! Use Counter, Hitmonchan!" Ash yelled.

A flicker of energy seemed to come from Hitmonchan, and it appeared to absorb Hitmonlee's kick before thrusting out with both its fists. Hitmonlee was taken by surprise as it was struck right in its midsection by Hitmonchan's fists. The kicking fiend soared through the air before landing on the rocky ground with an audible thud.

"We aren't done just yet, Ash! Use Close Combat, Hitmonlee!" Rudy hollered.

"You use your Close Combat, as well!" Ash yelled.

Both Pokemon rushed towards each other, and each began a flurry up attacks at the other with Hitmonlee using its feet and Hitmonchan using its fists. Both Pokemon weren't even bothering to try to guard themselves from the other's attacks. Their defense would lower after that, but there was no blocking going on at all, just each Pokemon attacking the other relentlessly. The two fighting types were both taking a lot of damage. Ash was about to order Hitmonchan to use Counter again, but Rudy beat him to it with a different attack.

"Use Reversal!" Rudy hollered.

"Reversal?" Ash questioned.

Hitmonlee's eyes glowed red again, but this time not because of Revenge. It then sent out a huge burst of energy from its body before thrusting out with its feet. Hitmonchan cried out in pain as it was knocked backwards and landed on its back, now dangerously close to the edge of the rocky battlefield.

"What perfect timing to use that move. The more damage my Pokemon has, the more damage Reversal does," Rudy smirked.

Ash frowned as he turned around to check on his Hitmonchan. The Pokemon was gritting its teeth as it struggled to get up. It was in great pain but wasn't knocked out. One good attack from Hitmonlee would rectify that, however.

"Let's finish this with Mega Kick, Hitmonlee!" Rudy hollered.

Hitmonlee rushed at the downed Hitmonchan in preparation to do the final blow. If Hitmonchan didn't move, it would be all over, either from being knocked out or knocked off the playing field.

"Heads up, Hitmonchan! You've got to get up and get out of the way!" Ash shouted.

Hitmonchan grit its teeth again as it struggled to push itself up. It was aware of the situation, but that Reversal had hurt a lot. At the rate it was going, even if did manage to get to its feet, there wouldn't be enough time to get out of the way.

Ash soon realized this, as well. It was too late for Hitmonchan to move. Hitmonlee was coming in too quickly and had already prepared to jump into air. It soon was and was now flying towards Hitmonchan with its foot outstretched, ready to deliver the powerful kick. Ash knew ducking wasn't an option for Hitmonchan, either, as all Hitmonlee had to do was redirect its kick to send Hitmonchan over the edge. Granted, Hitmonlee would go over the edge, too, and this round would be a tie, but ties weren't allowed in Rudy's matches. Ash had to actually win them all.

Ash chanced a look back at Hitmonchan and saw it was still struggling. It was too late to attack so Ash had to think quickly. Rudy was apparently going suicide as Hitmonlee was clearly going to go over the edge, but it had every intention of taking Hitmonchan with it one way or the other. Apparently, it had used this strategy before on other Pokemon as there was no hesitation in the kicking fiend's eyes despite knowing the outcome. It must have been trained to know the perfect place to grab onto should it fall. Since Hitmonchan couldn't dodge, the only option it had was to take the hit.

Just before Hitmonlee landed its kick, Ash gave a command. "Use Counter, Hitmonchan!" he yelled, hoping the punchy Pokemon would have enough energy to do it.

Hitmochan grit its teeth once more as it threw up its arms in a last ditch effort. The powerful kick rammed into it with massive force which automatically began to push it backwards to send it over the edge. The punchy Pokemon wouldn't allow it, though. It narrowed its eyes and immediately used its already crouched position to fall backwards. It then grabbed Hitmonlee and kicked out with its legs using its momentum to send Hitmonlee over it.

Hitmonlee's eyes widened as it soon found itself being flipped over by Hitmonchan. The punching Pokemon crashed to the ground in pain but still used its momentum to continue to send Hitmonlee over it. Hitmonchan then let go, and Hitmonlee was soon spiraling through the air, and everyone gasped as the kicking fiend went toppling over the edge of the battlefield, unable to stop itself in time.

"Hitmonlee!" Rudy cried.

Ash and Pikachu immediately ran to the edge to check on the state of Hitmonlee since it had gone over the edge. The two looked over and saw the kicking fiend several yards down below, hanging onto a rock jutting out little farther than the others and apparently waiting to be rescued. It appeared rather frustrated with itself that it and its trainer's plan to take their opponent down, too, had failed.

Ash turned back to Rudy and nodded his head to signal that Hitmonlee was okay. He then turned to the severely battered Hitmonchan. The Pokemon was clearly aching all over as it was on its back and shaking from the pain. That maneuver of sending Hitmonlee over the edge would've been all for nothing if Hitmonchan was too hurt to battle. Ash and Pikachu then smiled when Hitmonchan held both of its fists up and waved them around to show it wasn't knocked out yet. Although barely, Ash had won the first round.

"Hitmonlee has been disqualified by going off the battlefield, meaning Hitmonchan is the winner!" the judge declared from Pidgeot's back as they went to rescue Hitmonlee.

"Ohhh, my big brother lost that round," Mahri muttered sadly.

"That was great, Ash!" Leaf shouted.

Serena smiled to herself. Maybe all of those battles with Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee paid off after all. Hitmonchan knew how to counter a potentially lethal kick from Hitmonlee due to being so used to them.

Misty sighed to herself as she was still deciding what she wanted. It was so hard to think too deep because of the battle going on down below. It was causing her lose focus of what she wanted her decision to be. Still, the sight of all of that battling did make her feel like she would missing out if she wasn't battling many trainers from around the world to perfect her water Pokemon techniques.

Meanwhile, Ash went up to Hitmonchan and picked the upper part of its body up off the ground, allowing it to lean against Ash's arm. Ash then gave it a smile which it weakly returned.

"I'm proud of you, Hitmonchan! That was really awesome, and you did the techniques with your elemental punches perfectly!" Ash told it.

"Chaaaaan," it muttered tiredly before pushing itself out of Ash's arms and shakily standing up on its own two feet.

"Don't push yourself, Hitmonchan! Just a take nice rest. You earned it," Ash told Hitmonchan as he took out its pokeball.

The punchy Pokemon nodded and allowed itself to be returned. It was rather pleased with itself that it had managed to beat its opposite. It couldn't wait to tell Serena's Hitmonlee that it had beat one of its kind. Knowing it, however, Serena's Hitmonlee probably wouldn't be too impressed and tell it there was always room for improvement. That would always annoy the hot blooded Hitmonchan.

At this time, the Pidgeot reappeared from the cliff, carrying Hitmonlee in its talons. Rudy sighed before returning Hitmonlee to his pokeball.

"Great job, Hitmonlee. Take a good rest," he told it before looking at Ash. "Well, Ash. I must admit I'm a little surprised. You're a pretty good opponent, after all."

"It told you! I've trained all of my Pokemon extra hard for this league. We won't lose just like that!" Ash replied.

"Good to hear. The next match will now begin. This time, I'll choose first and send out Starmie!" Rudy yelled as he sent out the starfish Pokemon.

"A Starmie, huh? In that case, I'll choose Kingler!" Ash shouted.

The crab-like Pokemon appeared and clicked its giant pincers to show it was ready for battle. Like Hitmonchan, Ash had trained it to be a more effective long range attacker. That had almost cost it the match against Mandy a while back. Now, it was going to shake off its rustiness and show its raven-haired trainer what it had learned.

"My brother's Starmie has a few tricks up its sleeve. It won't lose so easily," Mahri smiled.

Serena smiled good-naturedly at the younger girl. "Well, Ash's Kingler has a few tricks, too," she said, earning a nod from Mahri.

"The second round will now begin. Ash's Kingler versus Rudy's Starmie! Go!" the judge declared.

"I'm going to start this match off with a little surprise, Ash," Rudy told him. "Spin yourself into Thunderbolt, Starmie!"

"I don't think so!" Ash retorted. "Kingler, use Mud Sport!"

As Starmie began to twirl and spark, Kingler hastily began conjuring mud and throwing it all around the battlefield, and even on itself. The electricity shot out of Starmie and made a beeline towards Kingler who was still tossing mud everywhere. The attack struck Kingler where it grimaced in pain, but it didn't appear to hurt that bad.

"That's it, Kingler! Now use Crabhammer!" Ash told it.

Despite the electricity, Kingler still leaped up into the air where Starmie was, and slammed it hard with its larger pincer. Starmie was knocked out of the air and sailed towards the ground and landed with a hard thud. Kingler landed on the ground, also, and stumbled a little but was otherwise okay.

"Ah, that was smart of Ash to use Mud Sport like that to combat Kingler's electric weakness. Ash must have anticipated that Starmie had a few tricks of its sleeve since it's so diverse," Tracey realized as he continued to watch from his binoculars.

"He probably knew how tricky a Starmie could be after seeing yours battle so many times, Misty," Leaf said, trying to bring the redhead into the conversation

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Misty muttered.

"Heh, not bad, Ash, but Starmie and I don't need electricity to win," Rudy smirked as Starmie floated up from the ground once more.

"Be careful, Kingler. That Starmie is probably full of tricks," Ash warned.

"Kokee. Kokee," the pincer Pokemon nodded.

"I say we add a little music to this match," Rudy decided with snap of his fingers.

A trainer in one of the balloons then pressed a button on a boom box. The device then began playing music to where both Rudy and Starmie appeared to be dancing. Ash, Kingler, and Pikachu couldn't help but raise a slight eyebrow at this.

"He and his Pokemon are going to dance in the middle of a battle?" Ash questioned.

"Dance yourself into a Psychic attack, Starmie!" Rudy ordered with a flip of his hair.

Starmie then began twirling so quickly that one would think it was using Rapid Spin. That soon proved not to be the case as blasts of psychic waves began shooting out of Starmie. They were covering a large portion of the battlefield due to Starmie's spinning. Kingler began moving around as fast as it could to avoid the many waves, but the law of average eventually won, and it was blasted backwards and onto the ground.

"Kingler!" Ash cried.

Kingler slowly got off the ground and clicked its large pincers to show it could still fight. While the Mud Sport would help against electric attacks, there wasn't much that could be done with a Psychic attack. Kingler was still obviously suffering from far range combat which was what Starmie excelled at. He would have to get Kingler in close.

"Use Bubble Beam on the ground to push yourself towards Starmie!" Ash yelled.

Kingler aimed its huge pincers at the ground and blasted countless bubbles out which propelled it into the air at Starmie. Despite this Rudy and Starmie continued to casually dance as Rudy gave his next command.

"Dance into a Psychic once more, Starmie," Rudy said.

Starmie began spinning around and shooting psychic energy all over the place just like before. Kingler saw this coming and narrowed its eyes as did Ash. They were prepared this time.

"Use Protect, Kingler!" Ash told it.

Kingler threw out its pincers, and a force field appeared around it. The psychic attacks bounced harmless off the field as Kingler became closer. Despite this, Starmie continued to dance like it didn't have a care in the world. Well, Ash would make sure to let it know what a big mistake that was!

"Use Crabhammer, Kingler!" he yelled.

Kingler's larger pincer began to glow as it went to swipe at Starmie. The pincer Pokemon's eyes then widened as Starmie simply spun out of the way! The attack missed completely as Kingler soared past Starmie and soon landed on the ground. It then turned to stare up at the still dancing Starmie and clicked its pincers in aggravation.

"Try to hit Starmie again, Kingler!" Ash hollered.

Kingler propelled itself at Starmie once more. It prepared Crabhammer again and swung at the star shaped Pokemon, but all it did was dance out of the way like last time. Kingler then leaped up and tried again, and again, but no matter what did, Starmie would simply dance out of the way. Rudy didn't even seem to be ordering Starmie to attack anymore and decided to just let Kingler wear itself out trying to hit it.

It was beginning to show, as well. Kingler was breathing heavily after many failed attempts at hitting Starmie. Ash knew Kingler couldn't keep this up forever as Starmie would dodge every time. It was like Starmie could predict Kingler's movements. The only way to do this would be to possibly fake it out, and that was it.

"Kingler, go in for Crabhammer once more," Ash told it with a nod.

"Keep up your dancing, Starmie. There's no way Kingler can hit you with the fantastic dance moves you have," Rudy smiled.

Kingler must have realized what Ash was planning as it showed no hesitation in pretending to prepare Crabhammer. Its large pincer glowed, and as it expected, Starmie began to twirl out of the way. Like before, Kingler sailed past Starmie, and Ash knew he had to act quickly.

"Use Vice Grip and take Starmie with you!" Ash hollered.

Rather than swing its pincer with Crabhammer, Kingler instead reached out with its huge pincer and astutely grabbed Starmie out of the air as it passed. It then squeezed tightly and swung its pincer around in a downward arc, slamming Stramie into the ground.

"Nice job, Kingler!" Ash told it.

"Break free, Starmie!" Rudy called.

Starmie began struggling as it tried to fly out of Kingler's mighty grip. The pincer Pokemon wasn't too fazed as it continued to hold on tightly with little effort. Upon seeing this, however, Rudy smirked again.

"Having ahold of Starmie like that may be worse than you think," Rudy said. "Use Psychic at point blank range!"

"I don't think so! Use Crabhammer on Starmie's jewel, quick!" Ash hollered.

Kingler immediately swung the pincer not holding Starmie at its jewel. The Starmie managed to only get a small burst of psychic energy out before the pincer smashed into it, leaving the star shaped Pokemon stunned. Kingler grimaced from the miniature Psychic attack, but quickly shook it off.

"What?!" Rudy gasped.

"Now use Hyper Beam!" Ash shouted.

Kingler raised up its other pincer once again as it began to charge up energy. The dazed Starmie sensed the danger and once more tried to break free, but Kingler still held on strong. Kingler continued charging energy into its pincer, and once it was done, pointed it directly at Starmie.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Rudy cried.

Kingler became enveloped in electricity, but thanks to Mud Sport, was able to power through it. The crab Pokemon then unleashed the enormous amount of energy, directly hitting the Starmie trapped in its larger pincer, creating a huge explosion.

Ash and Rudy both shielded their eyes as dust and smoke covered the battlefield. It soon cleared to reveal Kingler, bruised and battered, but still on its four legs and clicking its pincers victoriously. Starmie, on the other hand, was down and out.

"Starmie is unable to battle! The winner of the second round is Ash!" the judge announced.

"Alright, Ash! Your Kingler still proved it was the king of close ranged fighting! Starmie didn't have chance once Kingler got it!" Leaf cheered.

Misty smiled slightly to herself as she watched. Ash never failed to impress her with his great battling skills. It reminded Misty of all the great people and Pokemon they battled as a group when they traveled. If she stayed, Misty would be missing out on all of the excitement of traveling. Then again, would she need to travel if she was here and happy with Rudy? This was so difficult!

"Alight, Starmie. Return, and good work," Rudy told it as he returned the Starmie in a beam of light before looking towards Ash. "Well, Ash. You truly have surprised me. You've really earned your spot to challenge the Orange Crew."

"Yep! I look forward to badge number three, too!" Ash agreed as he returned Kingler and gave a thanks for such a great battle.

"You still have one more match to win before you get it, though," Rudy reminded as he held up a pokeball with his two forefingers.

"You got it! I choose you now, Muk!" Ash shouted as he released the sludge Pokemon.

"In that case, I'll choose Weezing!" Rudy replied as he threw his own Pokemon.

The two poison Pokemon appeared on their respective sides as they prepared for battle. After seeing a Weezing, the group was highly reminded of the one Team Rocket used. It was still easy to tell the difference as this one looked less…grim, maybe?

"Okay. This match is the final one for the badge! Weezing versus Muk! Go!" the judge declared.

"I say we have some music to this battle, as well! What do you say, Weezing?" Rudy suggested as he snapped his fingers once more.

"Weezing," the poison gas Pokemon agreed as it hovered up and down into the air with the music that began playing.

Ash couldn't help but think how humorous this looked to see a Pokemon like Weezing dancing to music like this. Ash quickly shook himself of these thoughts as they would only distract Muk and him. He needed to focus on the battle.

"Use Thunderbolt, Weezing!" Rudy suddenly yelled.

"His Weezing knows Thunderbolt, too?" Ash questioned.

The poison gas Pokemon seemed to inflate itself for a second and suddenly deflate as many bolts of electricity shot out of its holes. Muk was just a sitting duck and couldn't move out of the way as the electricity hit it. Muk grimaced at the pain before quickly shaking it off.

"My Weezing is very versatile, Ash. If your Muk isn't the same way, then you won't be able to beat me," Rudy told him.

 _"I already know Muk's poison type attacks won't work against Weezing. What else does it have?"_ thought Ash before it hit him. "Use Ice Punch, Muk!"

Muk whirled its sloppy fist around and extended it quickly towards Weezing in a cloud of frost.

"Counter that with Flamethrower, Weezing!" Rudy said.

Once more, Weezing inflated itself slightly before unleashing the flames at the incoming Ice Punch. The flames made contact, and the ice was put out before it reached the poison gas Pokemon. As a result, all that hit Weezing was a light, sludgy slap, doing little to no damage.

"That Weezing knows Flamethrower, too," Ash grimaced.

"Use Smokescreen to cover yourself, now," Rudy commanded.

The Weezing let loose a noxious looking black smoke from its mouth which completely covered the battlefield. Muk wasn't bothered by the smoke at all, but it and Ash knew that wasn't the point of the attack. That Weezing could be anywhere, and it and Rudy knew that Muk wasn't very mobile and made an easy target.

"Use Thunderbolt, Weezing," Rudy called out of nowhere.

"That's when Ash decided to make use of the new technique they learned. "Muk, turn yourself into a puddle and hide yourself now!"

Muk concentrated hard and quickly sunk itself into the rocky ground, leaving nothing but a puddle of sludge. It turned out to be a good call as several bolts of electricity flew over the puddle where the center of Muk's body was just a few seconds earlier. Ash then smiled as he saw his Muk moving more quickly around the battle field when it was just a puddle.

"Not bad, Ash, but your Muk isn't safe there, either," Rudy smirked before snapping his fingers. "Spin yourself into Flamethrower, Weezing."

Rudy's Weezing began to spin itself quickly in tune to the music that was playing. Soon enough, several flames shot out of the holes in its body that soon created a spiral, almost as if it were using Fire Spin. The flames licked at the ground where Muk was moving around. It wasn't long before Ash knew what Rudy was trying to do. It was trying to trap Muk inside the vortex so there would be nowhere to go.

"Get out of there, Muk!" Ash yelled.

His yells proved to be in vain as Muk made one slight miscalculation of where the flames would go. They soon blocked Muk on both sides before they began to wrap around where Muk was, scorching the ground it was on. Muk suddenly sprang up from the heated ground and yelled in pain with the fiery vortex still around it.

"Muk!" Ash cried at the distressed Pokemon.

"This isn't good," Tracy muttered as he watched. "Muk will be in big trouble if it can't escape all of those flames."

"How can Ash attack the Weezing, though?" Leaf asked. "The only non-poison move his Muk knows is Ice Punch. That was easily countered by Weezing's Flamethrower, and Muk can't use that move forever."

Serena frowned at how the battle was turning out. Winning three out of three battles was hard to do indeed. Most gyms would require only a two out of three victory, but not in the Orange Islands. There had to be something Ash could do. Not even the new strategy Muk had learned was working here because of Weezing's Flamethrower.

Meanwhile, Misty was still quite indecisive about the battle before her. She really wanted Rudy to win, but she also wanted Ash to win because he was her friend and the first person to accept her when she traveled away from Cerulean City, even before Serena. She had always rooted for Ash in the past, and to root against him now seemed…well…odd.

Since Misty had traveled with the group, she had been in so many adventures, even though they were dangerous at times. That was something that couldn't be said when she was by herself. It fed her appetite for traveling and adventuring quite well if she were with him. It was only because of the group she traveled with that she hadn't given up on her dream of water Pokemon training. They had been there to encourage her and even went out of their way so she could compete in the water Pokemon tournament. That definitely made Misty realize she was considered a valuable member of the group.

That also brought her back to the subject of her dream. If she didn't continue traveling, her whole point of leaving Cerulean City would stop right here. She wouldn't be able to adventure much more or go any higher with her career as a water Pokemon trainer. They had water Pokemon tournaments in the Orange Islands, but to be a master, she had to explore different areas, as well. Could she do that with Rudy?

Furthermore, on the subject of Rudy, is this what Misty really wanted? What were her true feelings for Rudy? Was it the same type of love that Serena and Ash had for each other? She knew without a shadow of a doubt that those two would go out of their way to do anything for each other. They had a problem like this for a while back in Kanto when their dreams were at a crossroads. Even so, they were able to work through and wouldn't hesitate to put their dreams on hold from what Serena told her earlier.

It brought tears to Misty's eyes when she realized something. If she truly felt for Rudy what Serena and Ash felt for each other, she wouldn't be having such a difficult time between choosing her dream or him. She began to care for Rudy and his sister so much in the short time they've known each other, but that was the problem. It was only a short time. Serena and Ash had years of familiarity to build off of. Misty and Rudy had…one meeting at a Fuchsia Festival. She wasn't ready yet to make such a commitment to a boy, though lovely and charming, whom she didn't know enough about yet.

Misty then knew right then what her choice was. Though it hurt, she was going to continue traveling to achieve her dream of being a water Pokemon master. Maybe when it was all said and done, then she would be ready for a real relationship, but unfortunately, it just wasn't now. Misty had too many things ahead of her before she wanted to settle down with a boy.

Misty stared worriedly as she watched Ash's Muk continue to yell in pain. What was wrong with him? Ash was just standing there with gritted teeth. Wouldn't he have thought of something by now? She then found herself shouting at Ash before she even knew what she was doing.

"Come on, Ash!" Misty yelled. "Don't just stand there! Think of something! That Weezing has to have some kind of weakness!"

Just about everyone in the vicinity turned their heads at Misty's outburst, including Rudy and Ash. They were looking up at her in shock. Well, that pretty much confirmed who Misty was now rooting for despite appearing indecisive before.

"Misty?" Ash questioned.

"You're still just standing there like some idiot! You aren't going to win like that!" Misty continued.

Ash shook his head of his shock to give a slightly annoyed look at Misty. He didn't need her to tell him that. Still, in order for her to say that comment, she must have noticed something that he didn't. Whatever it was, it probably wasn't anything to do with Muk being trapped. Ash instead decided to focus on Weezing itself. It continued to inflate itself before deflating itself to pump out more flames. So that was how it created those attacks.

Ash then squinted his eyes as he noticed tremendous pressure must be building inside of Weezing to do that. If he could somehow get Muk to attack Weezing right before it attacked, it might lose that pressure buildup and instead suffer a major energy loss. That was it! Ash then nodded his head to Misty in thanks before he turned back to focus on how he could get Muk out of that trap.

Misty nodded her head in return before leaning back and folding her arms to watch the match intently. It was then she felt a slight tug on her shirt. Misty looked down and saw Mahri looking up at her with a sad expression on her face.

"Misty, even though you want Ash to win, you're still going to stay here, right?" she asked worriedly.

Misty sighed and looked away guiltily. She realized what she had done to Rudy and Mahri. She just confirmed she would stay with Rudy last night, and no doubt he told Mahri at some point this morning. Though she had already made her decision, she still knew that this would probably really upset these two. Misty knelt down to give the younger girl a hug.

"I'm sorry, Mahri. It's just not time for me to settle down like this yet. I need to keep traveling for the time being," she replied.

At that, she looked up to find Serena, Tracey, and Leaf watching her with unreadable expressions. They didn't look overjoyed for her decision, but Misty didn't expect them, too. They knew how hard this decision must have been for Misty and were willing to respect her choice no matter what. Right now, they knew it was best just to let her think everything through.

Ash knew he had to act quickly or else he would lose this match. If he didn't know better, he'd say Muk was turning red. If Ash couldn't escape the flames, he could at least put them out.

"Muk, use Sludge Wave all around you!" Ash shouted.

Muk quit yelling in pain to hold it in and began shooting out several blobs of sludge all over the surrounding area. Goo was splattering the ground which would stop the flames briefly, only to be caught in fire again. However, Muk continued to constantly use Sludge Wave. Ever so slowly, the fiery vortex was shrinking.

Muk was clearly beginning to tire out due to the slow but steady damage of the flames and using its Sludge Wave continuously like this. He knew Muk's endurance was being pushed to its limits in this match. He just hoped it could hold out a little longer.

 _"Come on, Muk,"_ he thought.

Ash then smiled as he saw the flames beginning to shrink considerably. Even though Weezing was still dancing itself into a Flamethrower, Muk was winning out, and that's just what Ash wanted. Finally, Ash realized the flames were small enough now for Muk to attack, and Weezing was still attacking which was perfect.

"Use Poison Jab, Muk!" Ash shouted.

Despite the hot flames, Muk extended its sludgy arm and fired it towards Weezing.

"What are you up to, Ash? You should know that Poison Jab won't hurt Weezing," Rudy said.

Now it was Ash's turn to smirk. "Maybe not its outside, but Weezing's inside is totally vulnerable!"

It was at that moment that Muk's sludge-covered fist pushed through the flames and smacked right into Weezing before it pushed its flexible hand into one of the holes Weezing was using to attack. Then it began to extend its sludge all throughout the inside of Weezing's holes, which was blocking any flames from escaping. Muk grimaced at the slight burning pain, but it was minimized by the blockage so it was able to hold on.

It wasn't long before Weezing seemed to start struggling. It began having a pained expression on itself as it tried to shake itself free of Muk, but to no avail. The sludge Pokemon had such a tight grip on it from the inside that it couldn't go anywhere. Rudy let out a gasp as Ash smiled when the both noticed that Weezing began to inflate due to all of the pressure. It began to yell in pain as if begging for the enormous force inside of it to be released. Ash decided to do just that.

"Alright, Muk. Let it go!" Ash yelled.

Muk withdrew its stinging hand from Weezing and quickly retracted from what was about to take place. A huge explosion of fire erupted from Weezing out of all the holes in its body. The flames shot in all directions, but no one in the balloons were in any danger. The flames continued to blast out of Weezing at an incredible force, totally exhausting the poison gas Pokemon. By the time it was done, Weezing had a dizzy and dazed look on its face as it lost its ability to levitate and fell to the ground.

"Now use Body Slam!" Ash shouted.

"Quick, Weezing! Get up!" Rudy yelled.

Unfortunately for Rudy, the poison gas Pokemon was in no shape to do so. Muk steadily moved towards it before it rose up and slammed down on top of it. Weezing looked up worriedly as it saw Muk's full weight all on it before it was completely covered. Due to its tired and hurt state, Muk just decided to contently be in that position for a while since it knew its opponent wasn't going anywhere. It could feel no desire for a counterattack underneath it.

"Hey, Muk. I know you're tired, but we need you to get off of Weezing so we can see the results," Ash told it apologetically.

The sludge Pokemon reluctantly did as told and scooted its body off Weezing before resting just to the side of it. Everyone then observed the state Weezing was in and could see its eyes spinning around dizzily before closing. It had clearly been knocked out. They then looked over to see if Muk could still fight.

"Muuuuk," it muttered tiredly but clearly.

"Weezing is unable to battle! That was the third match Ash Ketchum won, meaning the gym match victory will go to him!" the judge declared.

"Alright! You did it, Muk!" Ash shouted as he and Pikachu ran towards it and knelt down next to it.

Muk wanted to wrap Ash in one of its trademark, sloppy hugs, but was too tired to do so. Instead, it settled on waving at its trainer and smiling contently. Ash was somewhat grateful for this, but still knew how hard it worked.

"Thanks a lot, Muk. You really came through. I knew this battle took a lot of your strength," he told it.

"Muuuuk," it agreed.

Ash then heard footsteps walking towards them. He looked up and saw Rudy staring down at him with a warm smile. He then reached out his hand for Ash to take and slowly pulled him to its feet.

"Well, Ash. That was quite a victory you pulled off with me. I haven't had a match that fun in quite few years," Rudy told him.

"Years?" Ash questioned before he remembered something. "Who was it you battled with?"

"Well, the match itself was fun, but the trainer was pretty mysterious. He never even told me his name and just moved on after he won. I'd say it was about five years ago," Rudy laughed.

 _"It's that trainer again,"_ Ash thought to himself. Just who was this guy?

"Anyway," Rudy continued, snapping Ash out of his thoughts, "Here's your Spike Shell Badge, Ash."

He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a tan badge that resembled a triumphant star turban with a small pink gemstone in its center. He then handed Ash the badge and nodded his head.

"Alright! Check it guys!" Ash exclaimed as he showed it to Pikachu and Muk.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu replied as it held up its two fingers in a V shape as usual.

"Muuuuk!" Muk laughed, happy it was able to assist its trainer with this one.

Serena, Tracey, Leaf, and Misty were all applauding Ash for his victory from the balloon. It was then Misty chanced a look to the side and saw Mahri staring up at her with an upset look. It almost looked like she was about to cry. Misty slowly stopped her clapping and steadily looked away from Mahri's eyes guiltily. She realized she would have some explaining to do.

* * *

Misty and Rudy were standing by themselves on the beach of Trovita Island. Misty had just broken the news to him and Mahri officially that she had decided to not stay with them, after all. Rudy had asked Mahri to run along for a little while so he and Misty could talk by themselves once she told them this. Even though it was clear Rudy wanted to talk, he found himself unable to. Misty didn't know what to say, either. For the longest time, neither of them said anything and just stared at the sunset. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Rudy spoke.

"So you've decided to continue traveling with your friends?" Rudy deduced, even though he already knew Misty's decision.

"Yes," Misty nodded sadly.

"I see," Rudy nodded quietly before it fell into silence again.

Misty hated it to be like this between them. It was the first time they had been completely speechless to each other. They had never run out of things to talk about before, and now this silence was suffocating. Misty knew she couldn't leave things like this between her and Rudy. It was then she was the first to speak.

"It's not that I don't like you, Rudy. I really do," Misty said. "It's just…I still have so many places I want to see and so many things I want to do with my water Pokemon career. If I stayed here, I wouldn't be able to complete it. That would totally defeat the purpose of why I started traveling in the first place."

"I know. It would be selfish of me to keep you from leaving. I could never ask you to give up your dream. That means I'm going to have to give up mine," Rudy replied.

Misty felt her eyes water at those words. She slowly leaned into Rudy from the side who slowly wrapped his arms around her before pulling her into an embrace. Misty's watery eyes soon turned tears before slowly falling down her face.

"Rudy, I don't want you to think of this as you giving up your dream. I want to be with you, too, but I just can't right now," Misty sobbed.

"It's okay, Misty. I understand," Rudy said soothingly.

"I'm sure I'll be ready to settle down in the future, but I'm just not ready yet," Misty said as they broke away.

"That's right. You still have your whole life ahead of you," Rudy muttered.

Misty then gave a slight laugh through her crying and turned away. "It's probably best that you just forget about me. Who knows how long it will take for me to finish my dream? I wouldn't want you to wait for that."

"Nonsense," Rudy said seriously. "Misty, I meant what I said when I told you that you that I wanted to be with you. I could never be with anyone but you."

"But we've only know each other for…," Misty tried to protest before Rudy stopped her.

"That doesn't matter. Even if I have to wait forever, I will," he told her before smirking. "I don't care if what I said sounds cliché. It's how I feel."

Misty gave a slight laugh at Rudy's attempt to lighten the mood. She had no doubt that he was as upset as she was about this, if not more so. Here he was, however, not looking the least bit mad and was supporting her in her decision. He even said he would wait for her.

"You…you really mean it? You would wait for me to finish my dream?" Misty questioned.

"Absolutely," Rudy nodded. "Someday, when you're all famous and the best water Pokemon trainer in history, you'll have tons of fans cheering for you. You'll be known the world over. You'll have so many fans you won't know what to do with them all!"

"Heheheh! Come on, Rudy! I'll never be that big," Misty scoffed playfully.

"Hahaha! I think you will," Rudy laughed before dropping his tone to a serious one again. "Then when you've reached your full potential and want to take a break for a while, just know that I'll be here on Trovita Island the whole time, waiting for you."

He then looked down and pulled a small silver ring off of his finger. He then walked closer to Misty and placed it into her palm before closing his fist around it.

"Rudy?" Misty questioned.

"I want you to have that," Rudy told her. "It will be a reminder for you not forget me and to know that I'll be here for you when you come back."

"Oh, Rudy. It's a promise!" Misty suddenly exclaimed as she threw herself into his arms once more, and they hugged even more tightly.

It was settled then. Misty was extremely joyful right now. Rudy was agreeing whole-heartedly to let her finish her dream to be a water Pokemon master. Then he would be waiting for her the day that she would come back, which she definitely would. Even though it was short, Rudy was definitely the type of guy Misty wanted to be with, and apparently Rudy felt the same way about her. They may not have the bond Ash and Serena had yet, but to Misty, you couldn't ask for anything better in the meantime.

After staying in each other's arms for another few minutes, they broke away and stared at each other, each one not wanting to look away. Finally, Rudy gave a slight smile at Misty.

"Hey. I guess we better go meet your friends, now. They're probably waiting for you to leave," he mentioned.

"Heheh. Yeah. Let's go," Misty replied as they turned and headed to the other side of the beach where the others were.

A few minutes later, Misty and Rudy rounded a curve where they could see the group there, along with Mahri and a couple of trainers from Rudy's gym. Lapras was already out, too. Upon seeing Rudy and Misty, they all stopped what they were doing and waved to the two, to which they waved back.

Serena was the first to speak once the two made over to them. "Hey, there. Are you two okay?"

"Couldn't be better," Misty smiled, to which Rudy nodded in agreement.

"So you're really not staying, Misty?" Mahri asked sadly.

"Not yet," Rudy answered as he knelt down and gave his sister a hug. "Misty is going to be the best water Pokemon trainer out there first and become even greater then she already is. Pretty soon, she'll be on TV because she's so famous, and you can see her at anytime!"

"Really?!" Mahri exclaimed as she looked up at Misty with sparkles in her eyes.

"Hahaha! I don't think I'll become that famous," Misty laughed as she placed her hand behind her head.

"I think you will," Rudy smirked.

"We all think so, too, Misty," Ash added, referring to him, Serena, Leaf, and Tracey.

Misty looked back and forth between Rudy and her friends. She truly felt touched that they all believed in her like this. She felt silly as she almost felt fit to cry again, but she couldn't help it. She truly had the best of friends.

"You guys," Misty muttered, though she was smiling.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Rudy asked with a grin. "Hurry up and leave so you can become that awesome water Pokemon trainer!"

Misty turned to stare in Rudy's eyes one last time. There was hidden sadness there, but Misty knew that he believed this is for the best, too. She slowly tore her eyes away from his and instead looked at her friends.

"Alright. I'm ready now," she nodded.

"Sounds good!" Ash nodded as he was the first to get on Lapras, followed by Serena, then Leaf, and then Tracey. Misty hesitated only for a brief moment before climbing on, as well.

"Remember, Misty," Rudy called from the beach. "You have my Pokegear number now. Make sure to call me sometimes to let Mahri and me know how you're doing!"

"Of course! You know I will!" Misty yelled back as she patted the Pokegear in her pocket. She wouldn't fall out of contact with him like last time.

"Well, we'll see you guys later!" Ash waved as Lapras turned around and began to swim away from the beach and into the evening sky.

"Bye, Misty! Bye, everyone! You all take care!" Mahri called. "Come visit us soon!"

"Goodbye, Ash! You know you have a great girl like Misty for a friend so you better take care of her!" Rudy yelled back as he waved.

"Heheheh! Don't worry! I will!" Ash responded.

"You hear that, Ash? If you're mean to me, I can call Rudy," Misty smirked.

"Hahahaha!" Ash and the others laughed in return.

They continued to wave until they were so far away that they could barely see them anymore. Misty still waved the longest, however. She continued to wave until she could no longer even see the beachline of Trovita Island. With a sigh, she lowered her hand and reached into her pocket to stare at the ring Rudy gave her.

"Hey, Misty. What's that?" Leaf asked curiously.

"Rudy gave me this as a symbol that I'll come back and see him again one day," Misty answered quietly.

"I'm sorry you had to leave. We could all tell Rudy meant a lot to you," Serena smiled sadly.

"No. It's okay. You don't have to apologize. I made this decision on my own," Misty reassured. "I still have so many things to do with my life that I'm not ready to settle down yet."

"Ah, I think I see what you mean," Tracey nodded.

"That's right. Rudy and I made a promise to see each other again so there is nothing to worry about. We're good," Misty nodded.

"We're all really happy that you found a great guy like Rudy," Ash said.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu agreed.

"Yeah. He is pretty great," Misty replied as she turned to look at the fading Trovita Island behind them.

Yes. It was true. It had been difficult for Misty to make the decision she did, but she and Rudy both knew it was for the best. It had been a very eventful day with Ash finally winning his third Orange League badge. Now he just needed one more to qualify for the Orange League. They all knew that Misty had won something, too. Rudy's heart, and he had won hers. They had made a promise, and Misty fully intended to keep it, no matter what.

* * *

 **That wraps up Rudy and Misty's arc...for a long while anyway. No. I'm not going to just shove Rudy in the background forever now after writing what I did about them seeing each other again. You will find Misty talking to him occasionally through Pokegear.  
**

 **Not much to say except thanks for all the reviews and support! They always mean a lot! See you all on November 20...err..November 21 with the next chapter! The 20th is on a Friday, and as stated, I'm unable to update on Fridays so you will all see it Saturday morning. The next chapter is pretty obvious what it is by the title...but it has a twist you all will see!**

 **Chapter 14: Snack Attack!**

 **Answering the Questions:**

 _When Ash finally battles Drake will Drake's Pokémon be the same ones he used in the anime or will they be different?_

 ** _Drake's Pokemon will be the same. For Ash, Four will be the same, and two will be different._**

 _Will there ever be a scenario where you have Ash vs Serena in a full 6 on 6 battle?_

 ** _Yes. I've been purposely vague about who is stronger right now. Serena and Ash will have their 6 on 6 battle one day for sure, but it isn't time yet._**

 _This may be a long shot, but will Ash's Dratini evolve into Dragonair during "The Power of One"?_

 ** _No. It will not evolve in Dragonair during the Power of One arc.  
_**

 _Will Ash and Serena have some romance anytime soon?_

 ** _Yes. Now that Rudy and Misty are good, I can refocus on Ash and Serena. I can only do so much romance at one time._**

 _Will we see Brock in the movie arc like we did in the anime?_

 ** _Yes, but it's only for one brief scene._**

 _Also, will Ash and Serena ever actually end up sharing a room?_

 ** _Not anytime soon._**

 _What chapter should the last gym battle be in?_

 ** _Chapter 15_**

 _Will the final gym in the orange islands be a lot different than canon or just a little?_

 ** _A lot different._**

 _I'm going to guess after Johto, Misty will return to be with Rudy._

 ** _We'll see._**

 _Just curious, I know Calem was introduced in the Kanto, but will other "game" trainers show up in their respective regions as friends, rivals, or traveling buddies of Ash and Serena._

 ** _Yes, but some may appear outside of their respective regions. For instance, Shauna makes her first appearance in Johto, and Trevor and Tierno will make their first appearance in Hoenn. Jimmy and Marina are in Johto. Brendan is in Hoenn, and Sinnoh is too far off for me to know if Lucas is included yet. The same goes with Hilbert, Hilda, Nate, and Rosa. Even though I'm not doing Unova, there is still a chance for them to appear some way, but that's all it is right now...a chance._**


	14. Snack Attack!

**A/N: Salutations everyone! No long author's not today. Just please read and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Nintendo does.**

* * *

Chapter 14: Snack Attack!

It had been about a week since the group left Trovita Island. Nothing of real significance had happened for them. That was okay, however, due to how eventful the previous weeks had been. One could consider it a week to just take a break. With the victory of Ash's gym battle and the others' participation in the Water Pokemon Tournament, they had made sure to give their Pokemon a well- deserved break, too.

None of the islands they had been to the past week had been anything special, but the nature and beautiful scenery had more than made up for it. They were perfect places for the group and their Pokemon to just have fun, which is what they did. Now, to further add to their relaxing week, the group was coming up to string of islands that were well known for one thing.

"Hmm…it looks like we're approaching the Seven Grapefruit Islands," Tracey murmured as he inspected the map.

"What are the Seven Grapefruit Islands?" Ash wondered.

"They're a group of islands that are known for their abundance of grapefruits. They are larger than the average grapefruit, and are quite delicious. Actually, they should be getting ripe around this time," Tracey explained.

"That sounds good to me!" Ash smiled as he adjusted his hat. "I say we go there and have some!"

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu agreed.

"Hold on, Ash. The grapefruits there aren't for just anybody to eat as they please. They are for the Pokemon that live on that island and are also used to be shipped around the world," Tracey warned.

"Well, I'm sure those islands still wouldn't be a bad place to set up camp. It won't be too much longer before my break from training is over," Ash figured, though he sounded slightly disappointed.

"Sounds fine to me," Leaf shrugged.

"What about you, Misty?" Ash asked without facing her.

"Heehee! I don't think Misty can answer you at the moment, Ash," Serena giggled.

"Man! Is she _still_ talking to Rudy?!" Ash exclaimed as turned to look at the redhead.

Indeed, Misty was turned away from the group and her Pokegear against one ear and a hand over the other so she could hear better. True to her word to stay in touch, Misty had been on the phone with Rudy for several hours every day since they left Trovita Island. In fact, she had been on the phone with him for over two hours so far. It wasn't that the rest of the group thought it was a bad thing, but they did wonder if Rudy even had time for challengers and training with how often he and Misty talked.

"Hey, Misty. Not to interrupt your conversation, but I just wanted let you know we're making a stop at the Seven Grapefruit Islands," Ash whispered to her.

Misty briefly turned around and nodded her head quickly to show that was fine. She then turned back around promptly went back to talking to Rudy. Ash shrugged in response before speaking to Lapras.

"Alright, Lapras! Full speed ahead to those islands!" Ash declared as he pointed his index finger forward.

"Laaaaa!" Lapras cried as it pushed forward towards to approaching islands.

"Do you think the people who harvest the grapefruits there will actually mind if we stop there? They won't think we're trespassing, will they?" Serena asked with a slight frown.

"I don't think so, Serena. The islands are still open to the public. As long as we don't steal the grapefruit, we're in the clear," Tracey reassured.

"Still, being around all of that grapefruit is going to make me kind of hungry," Ash muttered as his stomach growled for emphasis.

The group, save Misty due to her distraction, smiled in response that. Ash and his love for food.

* * *

The group reached the island within a few minutes and slid off Lapras onto the warm sands of the beach. Ash recalled the transport Pokemon back to its pokeball and thanked it for the ride before clipping the pokeball to his belt.

"Anyway, we've just reached another island. I think Ash said they were the Seven Grapefruit Islands…yeah…okay! Bye, Rudy! I'll talk to you soon!" Misty chirped before hanging up the Pokegear. She then sighed dreamily. "I'll never get tired of talking to him."

"That's so great things are working out between you two," Serena told her friend.

"Thanks. I miss him every day, but my decision was still for the best," Misty replied as the group began walking off the beach.

It didn't take long at all for the group to realize why the island was named after grapefruits. This island was chock full of grapefruit trees! They were everywhere! If the group didn't know any better, they would think that every single tree on the island had grapefruits growing on them! It would be a little difficult to not take at least one with how many there were.

"Wow, all of this grapefruit is shipped out to the rest of the world," Leaf muttered in awe.

"Do you think they harvest some trees for people and leave the rest for the Pokemon to eat?" Ash asked as he looked in puzzlement at a particular group of grapefruit trees.

"I don't think there's a particular pattern. Why do you ask?" Tracey wondered.

"Because some of those trees over there are picked clean," Ash replied as he pointed.

The group turned to where Ash was pointing and raised an eyebrow in question. They could see through a couple of more trees that some of the grapefruit trees already didn't have grapefruit, and something looked quite odd about them. They got a little closer, and their eyes widened at what they saw.

It wasn't just that the grapefruit tree didn't have any grapefruit on it. It hardly had anything left on it at all! Even the leaves and most of the branches were missing from it except for a few snapped twigs. There was no way this mutilated tree was harvested. It couldn't have been the work of the Pokemon that live on this island, either, as they would know better than to leave a tree like this to where nothing could grow again. Their food source would be shut off.

"What do you think happened to it?" Serena wondered.

"I have no idea, but it looks like these weren't the only tree it happened to," Leaf muttered.

The group followed her gaze and saw a line of trees in the same predicament as the one before them. They were all absolutely bare. The destroyed trees continued for as far as they could see. It looked as if a tornado had come and destroyed this whole line of trees.

"I think it would be best if we just try to avoid this section of the island," Misty suggested. "Whatever is doing this, I don't think we want to run into it."

They were just about to turn away when they saw someone running towards them. It was a young woman with dark green hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. She had a frantic look on her face. Once she reached them, she paused for moment to catch her breath before addressing the group.

"Excuse me. This batch of trees was just destroyed by the grapefruit thief. You didn't happen to see which direction it went, did you?" she panted.

"Wait. A grapefruit thief? That's what's doing this?" Ash questioned.

"That's right. A wild Snorlax appeared on this island a couple of days ago and has been eating all of the grapefruit we and the Pokemon that live here work so hard to harvest," the woman explained.

"A Snorlax?!" the group exclaimed collectively.

"At first we didn't know what it was until one of our workers caught it in the act yesterday. We've tried to get it to stop but we haven't been successful at all," the woman muttered.

"It hasn't stopped eating since it came? It must be really hungry," Misty commented.

"I don't know, Misty. Snorlax can eat its entire weight in food in one sitting if it wants to. This island could be in trouble if it does that," Tracey said.

"I'd hate to be a grapefruit on this island," Misty mumbled.

"Exactly," the woman confirmed, not hearing Misty's comment.

"So you said that you harvest the grapefruit here? You must be one of the workers," Ash deduced.

"Yes. My name's Ruby, and I actually run the business of harvesting the grapefruits here. The other workers and I do our best to produce the best quality grapefruit every year. We put so much effort into it that we couldn't bear to lose any to a thief. The only others we let eat the grapefruit are the Pokemon that already live on this island, and they help grow and harvest it, too," Ruby elaborated.

"Well, there's only one way to deal with this hungry Snorlax," Ash stated as he turned his hat backwards.

"What's that, Ash?" Serena asked, interested.

"We capture it, of course! I could really use a Snorlax on my team!" Ash answered.

"Umm…aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself, Ash? It isn't like a Snorlax is super easy to capture," Misty said.

"That's never stopped me before!" Ash declared.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu added, also liking Ash's idea.

"Oh! If you could help us out while you're here, that will be wonderful!" Ruby said gratefully.

That was when two other men came running towards the group. Judging by how they were dressed, the group assumed they were some of the other workers on the Grapefruit Islands.

"Ruby! We've found the Snorlax again! Let's go!" one told her.

"Right! Show me!" Ruby ordered as she and the other two dashed off.

"Well, if we're going to help, let's follow them," Ash told the others, receiving a nod. With that, they followed the workers.

As the group ran to where the Snorlax was presumed to be, they could really start to see the effects of the damage Snorlax had already done. While it only appeared limited to one row of trees closer to the beach, the destroyed trees were much more frequent further in. To top it off, they could see several wild Pokemon along the way, ranging from several grass-types to even bug types like Butterfree. Some of the Pokemon looked angry at the disaster around them while some of the smaller ones looked ready to cry that their food source was being taken away. That really told the group how important this problem was.

After another few minutes of running, the group finally found what they were looking for and came to a halt. Sure enough, a few yards in front of them, was none other than a wild Snorlax. It was sitting down and had its back turned them as it munched on all of the grapefruits around it, looking quite content.

The group got a disgusted look on their face when they saw Snorlax's preferred method of eating. It had complete disregard for the area around it or how it took the grapefruit. It was snapping whole branches off trees that had grapefruit before putting the whole thing in its mouth, branch and all. That definitely explained how all of the trees were being destroyed. It was one thing to actually eat all of the grapefruit, but to actually destroy the trees that would prevent anything from regrowing was a serious issue.

"So I suppose simply trying to reason with Snorlax isn't an option," Leaf guessed.

"No. It's like it can't even hear us," Ruby sighed.

The others then gasped as they saw Ash immediately run up to the Snorlax with Pikachu beside him. Despite him standing right in front of it, Snorlax acted like it didn't even notice Ash. If it could, it was just ignoring him.

"Hey, Snorlax! You can't just eat every fruit on this island! These people and Pokemon work really hard to grow it, and it's wrong to take what isn't yours!" Ash yelled.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.

"Snoooor," Snorlax muttered lazily as it continued eating. The group couldn't tell if that was a response to Ash's statement or not. Regardless, it didn't look like Snorlax was going to listen to Ash.

"Come on!" Ash exclaimed as he began to push at Snorlax. He knew he would never be able to move the heavy Pokemon but hoped it would at least encourage Snorlax to move along.

"Ash, I don't think that's a…," Serena began.

She was cut off as Snorlax simply reached out and brushed Ash off of it. Ash let out a groan of pain as he was knocked to the ground. He then stood up and glared at the Snorlax who went right back to ignoring the group of people around it. Snorlax still just sat there, munching away in contentment.

"Fine! If that's the way you want it, we'll have to battle you!" Ash stated before turning to Pikachu. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pikachuuuuu!" Pikachu yelled as it did the attack.

Several bolts of electricity flew from its cheek and made a direct hit with the Snorlax. The electric attack completely enveloped it. This went on for a few seconds before Pikachu relented the attack to see the damage it had done. For a while, Snorlax didn't move an inch and the group had thought that had worked. They all then sighed once Snorlax simply shrugged its large shoulders before going back to eating. Seriously?! It's wasn't like Pikachu's electrical attacks were weak!

"That didn't even do a thing to it, buddy," Ash sighed to Pikachu.

"Chuuuu," Pikachu moaned, as well.

"Why don't you use Charizard, Ash? It certainly is strong enough to get Snorlax's attention," Leaf suggested.

"Man, that would've been great, but Charizard is at Professor Oak's lab with Charla. They both requested to be sent back to his lab for a while after they had their…make up session," Ash muttered as he recalled the memory of watching the two Charizard go behind a tree.

"Yeah, and from what the map said, there aren't any Pokemon Centers on these islands," Serena confirmed as well with a sigh.

"What about your Jigglypuff, Serena? It could sing Snorlax to sleep," Misty pointed out.

"Jigglypuff is at Professor Oak's lab, too," Serena moaned.

"Oh! What are we going to do?!" Ash shouted and grabbed his head in frustration.

Everyone couldn't help but agree with him. This was going to be a lot harder than they thought.

* * *

A Scyther had just flown in the first Grapefruit Island. It rarely visited this part of the Orange Islands, but it did enjoy to look at the grapefruits growing around the area. It made it feel happy that the Pokemon here worked so hard to produce the best grapefruit they could. With its elder age showing occasionally, Scyther was content with some of the younger generation.

Whenever it would visit, it would observe all of the smaller Pokemon around it. Despite being weary of its frightening appearance at first, they quickly warmed up to it. It wasn't long before they even offered some grapefruit to it, but the Scyther would politely decline, feeling that it wouldn't be right for it to have any since it didn't help any in the growing or harvesting process.

As Scyther was landing, it immediately noticed something was off. If it recalled correctly, the Grapefruit Islands were supposed to full of blooming trees this time of year, but there were some parts of the island that were quite bare. Did the Pokemon here just have a bad harvest, or had they just been lazy? For some reason, the elder Scyther had a feeling neither was the case, and it should investigate.

Scyther began flying along though the island and observed the trees around it. They all looked good so far, but it stopped once it reached the row that had already been destroyed. Scyther narrowed its eyes as it knew this wasn't just some accident. Something had deliberately taken the grapefruit here, and it didn't like it one bit!

Scyther then noticed two Oddish that were crying not too far away. Deciding they might know what's going on, Scyther went over to the two smaller Pokemon and knelt down beside them.

"Scyther Scy?" it questioned them.

"Oddiiiiish," one mumbled sadly.

"Oddd," the other one added.

"Scyther?" it questioned again, sounding surprised at what the problem was.

"Oddd," the first one confirmed.

Scyther then stood back up and glared in the direction of where the perpetrator had supposedly gone. So a Snorlax had come to the island and was stealing all of the grapefruit these Pokemon worked so hard to produce. Oddish played a huge role in helping keep the soil healthy so it must be a really painful experience not literally enjoy the fruits of one's labor. Well, Scyther would certainly make sure to take care of this threat. It may not live on this island, but it couldn't sit back and let this happen! It will protect the Pokemon on this island!

With that, Scyther flew off in search of the Snorlax.

* * *

"Man, poor Wartortle and Bulbasaur," Ash said sadly as he returned the two defeated Pokemon.

The group had already tried several Pokemon against the Snorlax. Ash had just used both Wartortle and Bulbsauar, but all Wartortle's attacks had done was tickle Snorlax, and Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf was just being used to cut up the fruit for Snorlax. Apparently, Snorlax had enough of being interrupted as it got an angry look on its face and stood up. It then proceeded to use Body Slam on the two Pokemon. With Snorlax's weight, Wartortle and Bulbasaur didn't stand a chance.

"Oh! This is just crazy!" Misty exclaimed as she tugged on her hair.

"At this rate, all of our hard work will go to waste," Ruby muttered.

"Come on, Snorlax! Would it kill you to show a little consideration for the people and Pokemon here?!" Ash yelled.

Once again, Snorlax just simply ignored Ash. Ash let out a huff of frustration as he took out a pokeball. He seriously doubted this would work, but it was worth a shot. It wasn't like he had any better options at the moment. If Snorlax refused to battle, he would capture it by force!

"Pokeball, go!" he yelled as he threw it forward.

This effort proved to be futile just like the rest. Snorlax merely batted the pokeball away with one of the branches that it was holding. Ash caught the reciprocated pokeball and let out sigh. Ash then grimaced when he saw Snorlax give a warning look to him as if daring him to try throwing a pokeball again. Not wanting to be victim of Snorlax's Body Slam like Bulbasaur and Wartortle just were, Ash backed off but still growled in aggravation.

"I think Snorlax won't listen to us no matter what we say or do, Ash," Serena said as she put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. The truth was she was frustrated, too, but knew that getting worked up wouldn't make the situation any better.

The group then raised an eyebrow once Snorlax had finished eating all of the grapefruit in the surrounding area. It then gave a contented sigh and patted its stomach in what seemed to be satisfaction and let out a smile. It then appeared to stretch out a little bit.

"Hey. Maybe Snorlax finally had enough to eat so it'll go to sleep now," Leaf noticed.

"That's great! That will give us plenty of time to come up with a plan about what to do with it!" Tracey stated.

Everyone then let out a groan as they soon saw that wasn't the case. The greedy Snorlax simply stood up before walking over to the next set of trees. It sat down and began to gobble up the grapefruit on those trees just like it did to the ones before them.

"Seriously? Will this thing ever get full?" Ash deadpanned.

"Do you think if we had all of our Pokemon battle the Snorlax at once that it will be enough to take it out?" Misty asked.

"Hmm…maybe," Ash said thoughtfully as he crossed his arms to think over the idea.

Before he could contemplate it further, a Scyther appeared from between a patch of trees. It flew into the clearing and stopped just in front of the Snorlax who didn't give any indication it noticed anything. The group peered curiously at the Scyther before them. They noticed something oddly familiar about it. It appeared rather gruff in some parts.

"Scytheeeeer," the wild Scyther uttered to the Snorlax.

Snorlax looked up from the food it was eating before glaring at the Scyther. It then shrugged its shoulders and went back to consuming all of the grapefruit before it.

"Scyther! Scyther!" the wild Scyther threatened as it brought up its sharp claws and pointed them in Snorlax's direction. It then used its scythes to knock away a lot of the grapefruit from a pile the Snorlax had made a moment before.

"Woah. I wonder why this Scyther is getting involved. I didn't think any would live on this island," Tracey commented.

"They don't," Ruby confirmed, just as curious as the others.

Apparently, Snorlax didn't take too kindly to being interrupted like this. It finally took more notice of the Scyther and stood up. It then walked over to the Scyther and loomed over it as if trying to intimidate the mantis Pokemon. Despite this, the elder Scyther didn't back down but instead brought its claws up even higher in case it needed them. It couldn't just let this Snorlax terrorize the island!

"Wait a second! I think we have seen this Scyther before!" Tracey suddenly yelled out as he placed his fist in his other palm. "This is the same wild Scyther that we ran into while we were doing our Pokevision videos!"

"It is?" Serena asked as she looked at the Scyther again. Now that Tracey mentioned it, it did appear rather scruffy just like the one from before. This would be the same Scyther who beat her other Scyther in a battle of pride.

"If it is, then why would it be here?" Leaf asked.

"I have no idea," Tracey replied as he folded his arms to watch.

Snorlax and Scyther both continued to stare each other down, neither wanting to give in. Not surprisingly, Snorlax was the one who appeared tired of the staring contest first. It turned away from the Scyther and instead went to eat more of the grapefruit. Scyther let out a growl. If this Snorlax wouldn't listen to it, then Scyther would have to stop it by force.

The group let out a surprised gasp as the wild Scyther suddenly lunged forward and charged up an X-Scissor. Its claws began to glow before it slammed the attack into Snorlax's backside. The Snorlax was pushed forward slightly and let out surprised cry before turning around to glare again at the Scyther. Well, the attack apparently hurt Snorlax so it did prove to the group that it wasn't as invincible as they originally thought it was.

Their eyes then widened even more as they saw Snorlax wind up its fist before thrusting it forward for a Mega Punch. The Scyther nimbly dodged the attack before flying into the air and slammed its wings into Snorlax for a Wing Attack. Snorlax once more was pushed backwards slightly, and this time it wound back its right foot before swinging it around in an attempt to Mega Kick the Scyther, but once more, the mantis Pokemon was too quick. It then used X Scissor right into Snorlax's torso. The lazy Pokemon let out another gasp before falling over onto its behind, creating a tremor in the area around it.

"Wow. That Scyther is pretty good. At this rate, it may be able to beat Snorlax," Ash stated as he and the others watched.

"I'll say," Tracey added as his eyes sparkled at how cool this Scyther was. He was so fixed on the battle that he had forgotten to take his sketchbook out for this.

Despite seeming to win the battle, the elder Scyther was starting to wear out once again. Though Scyther was successfully hitting the Snorlax, the lazy Pokemon clearly had a lot more endurance than it did. Snorlax was getting damaged but still taking all of Scyther's attacks before it would try to retaliate only for Scyther to dodge it. The mantis Pokemon couldn't dodge forever, though.

"Scyther, Scy," it said to the Snorlax, hoping it would stop.

The Snorlax wouldn't give in, though. It was unintentionally greedy by nature and just wanted to eat all of the delicious grapefruit in the area. It had to eat, too! It just ate a lot more than the other Pokemon. It couldn't help that! It was just born that way! Not to mention, it was getting sick of other Pokemon and people interrupting it and just wanted to eat in peace. It would leave them alone if they left it alone. Snorlax attempted to throw another Mega Punch in Scyther's direction, only to miss again.

Scyther responded by sending an Air Slash in the Snorlax's direction. The attack connected and Snorlax grunted in pain before going in for another Mega Punch. Beads of sweat were forming on the rugged Scyther's face each time it dodged which wasn't going unnoticed by the group, especially Tracey.

"Hey, Scyther! Don't wear yourself out!" Tracey warned. "We can help you!"

"Scy!" Scyther replied quickly before dodging another one of Snorlax's attacks. That's when its wings gave out.

Scyther collapsed on to the ground but not completely. It was able to stab its blades into the ground which kept it from falling flat on its face. It gritted its teeth as it went to fly again, but that opening was all Snorlax needed to get the upper hand. Snorlax launched a Mega Kick right into the elder Scyther's face, sending it flying backwards into a tree where it slumped down and didn't get up.

"Scyther!" Tracey called as he ran over to check on it.

Deciding that it had won the battle, Snorlax stopped attacking. It then turned around to go off to another part of the island where it could enjoy more of the delicious grapefruits. It was being too disturbed around here anyway.

The others could do nothing but watch as Snorlax stomped off. Not even that strong Scyther could take it out. What were they supposed to do now?

Tracey had taken his mind of the Snorlax briefly so he could check on Scyther's condition. He took out a Potion and prepared to spray Scyther with it, but it frowned at Tracey and shook its head. It then attempted to get back up only to fall over again.

"Scyther, you have to let me help you. You're too injured to go after that Snorlax right now," Tracey told it.

"Scyyyyy," it muttered.

"How is the Scyther, Tracey?" Ash asked as he and others came over.

"Not so good. It's hurt pretty badly," Tracey sighed.

"Oh! Can't anything take out this Snorlax!? The only way Snorlax will leave is if there aren't any grapefruit left for it to pick off the trees and eat!" Misty yelled out.

"Misty! That's it!" Serena cried as she grabbed Misty's shoulders.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked in curiosity, not knowing she said anything special.

"We simply have to pick as many grapefruit as we can and collect them before Snorlax gets to them! I'm sure that if we all work together, we'll be able to save a lot!" Serena exclaimed.

"That's right! Then Snorlax won't be able to take anymore!" Leaf realized.

"Exactly!" Serena nodded.

"Oh, right. Hehehe," Misty chuckled.

"That's a wonderful idea! I'll go get as many workers as I can from our headquarters! I'll be back in a little bit!" Ruby stated as she hurried off.

"Well, I say we go ahead and start! The sooner, the better!" Ash declared.

"What about Scyther?" Tracey asked as he turned back around to see it still groaning in pain.

"That's right. It needs medical attention," Ash remembered, his mood dropping slightly.

"We'll need proper care for it, but there aren't any Pokemon Centers on the island for it," Tracey said. "It isn't taking any medicine from me."

"It looks like the only way to transport it would be through a pokeball," Serena muttered.

Understanding what Serena was getting at, Tracey took out an empty pokeball and looked at Scyther. Upon seeing the device, Scyther glared at Tracey and attempted to swipe it out of his hand. It couldn't be captured like this! It was supposed to protect others, not do the bidding of a trainer.

Seeing as Scyther wouldn't go willingly, Tracey sighed. "I'm sorry, but this is the only way we can get you the help you need."

Scyther's eyes widened once Tracey said that, knowing what was coming. Tracey tossed the pokeball at the reluctant Scyther. The ball hit, and Scyther was sucked into the pokeball. It wiggled several times as Scyther was desperately trying to get free. The others watched solemnly as the pokeball finally stopped wiggling and 'dinged' to show the capture had been made. Tracey then picked up the pokeball and looked at it with a slight frown.

"Well, I guess you caught a Scyther like you always wanted," Ash said, trying to find the bright side.

"Yeah, but I didn't imagine it would be like this. I captured Scyther against its will," Tracey mumbled, still looking at the pokeball.

Tracey then felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked down and saw it was Serena who had a comforting smile on her face.

"Hey. Let's go ahead and pick all of the grapefruit we can, and then we'll be able to get the Scyther the help it needs. I'm sure it can't hold that against you," she reassured.

"Okay," Tracey nodded before turning to the others. "Let's release all of our Pokemon who might be able to help with this. The more the better!"

"Right!" the others agreed as they set to work.

* * *

It took a while, but with everyone and their Pokemon working together, they had managed to collect a very large number of grapefruit from the trees Snorlax hadn't made it to yet. Even Togepi was able to help a little, though the grapefruits were a little large for it. Ash wiped some sweat from his brow as he and Pikachu stood back to admire their handy work.

"I think we did really well, guys," he commented.

"Oh! Thank you so much! Now we can transport this grapefruit to another location," Ruby said gratefully.

"It was our pleasure!" Serena smiled.

"I think I remember you saying that the Scyther from earlier needed medical attention. It's not much, but we have a small clinic on Grapefruit Island Number Three. I'll lead you there while the other workers load up the grapefruit for transportation," Ruby offered.

"Sounds great, Ruby! Thanks!" Tracey said.

The group was just about to leave with Ruby when they heard a rumbling sound. It wasn't long before the ground started to tremor around them. One could easily say it was an earthquake, but they knew better. Everyone got a panicked look on their face as they turned and saw Snorlax running straight for them and the plethora of grapefruit they had collected much faster than one would expect.

"Wait, Snorlax! You can't have this grapefruit! We worked hard to have this picked! It isn't yours!" Ash yelled as he and Pikachu stood in front of the pile.

Snorlax either didn't hear Ash or didn't care as it continued to plow straight towards the pile. To avoid being trampled, Ash leaped out of the way just in time as Snorlax hadn't even slowed down for the boy. Ash and Pikachu sighed in relief as they could've been turned into a pancake. They and the others then glared as Snorlax plopped down, creating another tremor, and began to scarf down the massive grapefruit pile.

"I can't believe this. We just weren't quick enough," Ruby sighed sadly.

The other workers of the island growled in frustration as they all charged at the Snorlax and physically tried to stop Snorlax from eating by tugging on its arms. This was futile as Snorlax simply brushed them away before continuing its meal.

Everyone could do nothing but watch as Snorlax continued to devour all of the grapefruit on the island. Once it finished the large pile in record time, it moved off to another section, and another, and another until it found all of the trees it could that still had grapefruit. Everyone looked around in despair at the complete disaster around them. Not only had Snorlax eaten all of the grapefruit, but it completely obliterated the vegetation. Only a few lone trees and bushes remained while everything else was either gone or destroyed.

The wild Pokemon around the area were running around frantically, not knowing what to do. Their very home and food source had been destroyed by this intruder, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

The group then followed Snorlax over to the beach, wondering what it was going to do now. For a while it simply stood there, doing nothing. It was then Ash's eyes lit up with realization.

"Hey, guys! Even though this island is picked clean, we still have the other six islands left. That's still plenty of grapefruit to harvest because Snorlax won't be able to go to those islands! Now we can figure out what to do with it!' Ash stated.

"What a relief," Ruby breathed.

They all then watched in puzzlement as Snorlax started to wave its arms up and down. Quite frankly, it looked ridiculous seeing such a large Pokemon do something like this. What on Earth was it doing anyway?

"Please tell me Snorlax can't fly," Ash muttered.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ash," Misty scolded.

Everyone then let out a gasp as they saw Snorlax actually jump into the water with no hesitation! It emerged a few seconds later and actually began to swim across the water towards the second island! It was doing quite well, too! The group was absolutely flabbergasted, not knowing what to think at seeing that.

"What the…," Misty began.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ash exclaimed.

"It's doing the blubber stroke," Leaf grimaced.

"Well, that explains how Snorlax got here," Tracey realized.

"What do you mean?" Ash wondered.

"Snorlax clearly isn't native to this island so the only way it wouldn't been able to get here is by swimming. As strange as it sounds, that's really the only explanation," Tracey elaborated.

"Oh, no. Now what are we going to do?" Ruby said in despair as tears began to fill her eyes.

"Ruby! Let's head back to headquarters on the third island and figure out a plan. If we don't hurry, this whole group of islands will be gone!" one of the workers suggested.

"We have no other choice. You all may come, as well," Ruby nodded towards the group.

With that, they all turned away from the swimming Snorlax, each wondering what exactly it was they were going to do.

* * *

The headquarters for the grapefruit islands actually turned out to be quite large. It was a giant warehouse surrounded by several smaller storage buildings. Then again, one would expect it to be quite big considering how many grapefruits grew on the islands. The group was currently in one of the smaller buildings which housed the clinic. They all stood with their arms crossed as they watched Snorlax devour all of the grapefruit on the second island through a monitor, feeling completely helpless.

The elder Scyther was lying on its stomach on a bed as it watched the screen, too, feeling even more helpless then the group was. It was covered in several bandages. Scyther had failed in trying to protect the Pokemon from Snorlax. It had been righteous its whole life and wanted to protect and watch over other Pokemon, but now, its age was starting to show. It was beaten horribly because it wore out too quickly and was feeling pathetic. Talk about being disgraced…

Scyther forced its eyes away from the screen and turned to look disdainfully at the black-haired boy who caught it in a pokeball. That only added insult to injury. Syther had seen the boy once before on its native island, and it made it quite clear it didn't wish to be captured. If it was in its prime, there was no way it would allow itself to be captured like that without a proper battle. It had no interest in becoming a trained Pokemon. It wanted to be free and live out its days, but now that couldn't be so. Yeah. It was all thanks to this boy.

Tracey must have realized he was being stared at as he turned away from the screen also to look at Scyther. Seeing the baleful look from Scyther made Tracey feel really guilty for doing that. There was no other way to help it since Scyther was refusing treatment before. Tracey knew it wouldn't mean much to Scyther, but he still felt like he had to say it.

"Scyther, I'm sorry. It was the only way we would be able to help you. I couldn't just leave you there," Tracey tried to reason.

"Scy…ther," Scyther muttered slowly as it turned away from Tracey.

"Hey, Tracey. Don't feel bad. You did the right thing," Ash said as he placed hand on Tracey's shoulder.

"I know. It's just…as a Pokemon Watcher…having a Pokemon look at me in such contempt…," Tracey mumbled as he watched the still turned away Scyther.

"I'm sure that deep down Scyther knows you did the right thing, too. Having a Scyther myself, I know they don't usually accept help from others, but they still appreciate it even though they don't show it," Serena spoke up.

"Maybe I should just release Scyther after it feels better. The wild is clearly where it wants to be, Tracey muttered.

At this, Scyther turned to Tracey and raised its head a little. This boy was willing to set it free? The mantis Pokemon wasn't stupid. It knew how much this boy wanted it as his Pokemon. He had been…bugging…it from the very beginning by complimenting it and asking it to join him. Now, he had officially captured it in a pokeball, and if he really wanted to, he could keep it. Did this boy really care about its feelings?

Everyone was interrupted by one of the workers running into the room. He stopped and placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He then snapped his head up and addressed the group, but specifically Ruby.

"Ruby! Snorlax has already consumed half of the second island's fruit! At the rate its going, it may have all pick all of the island's clean in only a few days!" he reported.

As they turned back to the tracker, their eyes widened at just how quickly that Snorlax was moving. After seeing how strong it was, how much it ate, and how it could swim, the group was starting to realize they weren't dealing with an ordinary Snorlax. There was something unique about this one.

"We have no choice. We have to evacuate off the islands and take as many grapefruits with us as we can," Ruby decided.

"You mean…," the worker started.

"That's right. We're taking out our emergency transporters and traveling to every island that Snorlax hasn't touched yet. The grapefruits won't be nearly as big as they usually are, but we're out of time," Ruby sighed sadly.

As this, Scyther's eyes widened. Was this Snorlax serious about eating everything on the island?! If it was in its younger days, Scyther would never allow this to happen! It still couldn't! It didn't matter if it was still hurt! These people apparently weren't going to be able to stop it. They will be able to save the grapefruit and themselves, but what about the Pokemon that live here? They would have nothing to eat! Scyther then turned to the open window. It then looked at the humans who now had their back turned to it and slowly slipped off of the bed.

"Okay. I'll make the announcement and gather the workers, and we'll set out," the worker nodded before hurrying off.

"Ruby, is there anything we can do to help?" Serena asked.

"No. You don't need to involve yourselves any further. I'm sorry your visit to the wonderful grapefruit islands is turning out like this," Ruby replied.

"Well, I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing anymore," Ash declared.

"What do you mean Ash?" Leaf asked him.

"I'm going to stop that Snorlax and capture it, no matter what. I'm not resting until I do," Ash stated a bit more firmly.

"That Snorlax is super strong, Ash! It just brushed off all of your Pokemon's attacks," Misty pointed out.

"That's why we'll all attack it together. I'm going to be a Pokemon Master. How can I expect to be one if I can't even capture a Pokemon that's right in front of me and making no effort to hide?" Ash responded before he turned to Pikachu. "What about you, Pikachu?"

"Chu!" Pikachu cried and sparked its cheeks. So this Snorlax thought its electric attacks tickled, did it? Well, it will show that fatty a thing or two of what it could really do!

"Well, I'll go with you, Ash!" Serena said.

"Togepriii!" Togepi laughed.

"Me, too!" Leaf added.

"Alright. Alright. Since you're that determined, I have no choice but to go, too!" Misty shrugged, but everyone could tell she would go regardless.

"Thanks, guys. I appreciate it," Ash nodded before turning to Ruby. "We'll slow down Snorlax as much as we can."

"I appreciate it. Thank you so much for your help," Ruby replied gratefully.

"I'll stay here so I can look after Scyther," Tracey stated and turned back to where Scyther was, only for his face to fall. "Scyther?"

"It's gone!" Leaf cried.

Tracey then saw the open window and ran towards it. He stuck his head out and gasped when he saw Scyther attempting to fly away. The Pokemon was wobbling terribly as it tried to stay in the air. Unable to take it anymore, it fell to the ground again in pain.

"Scyther!" Tracey called as he climbed out of the window after it, the others following, but through the door.

Scyther turned around and glared at Tracey but did nothing else. It didn't really care what this boy had to say at the moment. It had to protect this island's Pokemon. It was too honorable to let this happen. Just because this boy was its trainer now didn't mean it could abandon them. This boy just doesn't understand its feelings, after all.

"You need to rest now, Scyther! You're not strong enough to battle yet!" Tracey told it once he reached it.

"Scy," Scyther replied as it pushed Tracey back slightly with its blades.

"Are you actually going to back to face that Snorlax again?" Tracey asked worriedly.

"Scyther," the mantis Pokemon answered in the affirmative.

"Why is it so important that Scyther faces Snorlax again. It can't be just because it lost," Misty said.

Tracey stared deep into Scyther's eyes as he searched for some kind of answer. As he looked, he did see pride, but that wasn't all he saw. He could see…concern, but about what? Was Scyther actually worried about the grapefruit crisis like they were? That couldn't be it. The Grapefruit Islands themselves wouldn't drive Scyther like this. Was it concerned for the people here? No. After years of Pokemon watching, Tracey had observed many experienced or older Pokemon who watch over and protect younger and weaker Pokemon. This wasn't its island, but from what Tracey could see, it had a strong sense of duty. He then knew what it was.

"I see now, Scyther. You're concerned for the Pokemon on this island, aren't you," Tracey stated.

"Scyther's eyes widened as it leaned slightly back in surprise. It certainly wasn't expecting the boy to figure it out.

"You're a natural born warrior with a strong heart. Being experienced, you can't look away while other Pokemon are in trouble. Am I right?" Tracey inquired.

"Scyther," it nodded, though a little reluctantly.

Great. The boy understood it. Now what was he going to say? Was he going to make it go back and rest, saying it's not strong enough yet? Scyther knew the rules. If this boy…Tracey…ordered it to go back and rest, Scyther technically couldn't refuse. It would dislike this boy even more, but it would still do what he said.

"You should go, and do what you think is best," Tracey finally said.

"Scy?" it questioned in astonishment.

"On one condition," Tracey added as he held an index finger up. "I go with you, and we fight Snorlax together."

Scyther stared at Tracey for a moment. Fight together with him? Why would Scyther want to do that? It fought alone and didn't want help from anyone. That's how it had been its whole life. That was just something Scyther had to prove to itself. It had to see that it was still fit enough to protect and not need protection itself.

Still, was it time for Scyther to really face the truth that it just didn't quite have the endurance anymore? Every Pokemon passed their prime at some point, and Scyther was beginning to think it had reached that level. It still hurt, though.

"Scyther, I know your pride is really stung right now, but I just want you to understand. You know, even though I've captured you, there are still several Pokemon that we have," Tracey told it.

"That's right, Scyther!" Ash added. "We have several Pokemon with us that could use your protection while we're not with them!"

"I'd also feel a lot better if you were to look after my Scyther and be a mentor to it," Serena said.

The scruffy Scyther raised an eyebrow at this. That's right. If it recalled correctly, this girl did have that young, rogue Scyther. It, of course, would never lose to an impulsive one like that. That girl's Scyther did need a good lesson taught to it. That was when Scyther realized what all warriors did when they get older. Rather than fight their whole lives and die alone, they pass on their skills to the next generation.

"What do you say, Scyther? Can we be partners and rely on you to help the Pokemon of our group?" Tracey tried one more time.

The elder Scyther smirked. These people sure did know how to butter it up. The only thing was that it actually worked. Yes. It may not be able to fight like it once did, but it could still teach others and watch over a smaller group. That would be a great way to live out the rest of its life.

"Scyther," it nodded.

"Great, Scyther! Thanks for giving us a chance!" Tracey replied, ecstatic that Scyther finally accepted him.

"Let's go face that Snorlax one more time then!" Ash declared.

"Right!" Tracey replied over his shoulder and then turned to his Scyther. "Lead the way, Scyther!"

"Scy!" it responded before flying off, though it was being careful to not damage itself further. It was flying so finding that Snorlax from above wouldn't be too hard.

* * *

Snorlax had just arrived on the third island and heaved a big breath. The gluttonous Pokemon took a brief look behind it and down the cliff it had just climbed. Unlike the other islands which had sandy beaches to simply walk on, Snorlax realized it must have arrived on the wrong side if there was cliff. Well, at least it was quite fit for its size. It could swim, and climbing wasn't that much of a bigger issue. It just wore out quicker after climbing.

Snorlax took a good look around and smiled in contentment to itself when it saw this one had delicious fruit like the previous two. That made the climb well worth it. It couldn't wait to indulge itself even more. It did feel somewhat bad for eating everything, but it was just hungry, and this food was too good to pass up. Snorlax just began to stomp towards the trees when it was stopped by the group was running towards it.

"Hold it right there, Snorlax!" Ash hollered after it.

"We can't let you destroy these islands with your appetite anymore!" Serena added.

"Scyther!" Scyther declared as it flew in front of the group and stood before Snorlax.

Tracey winced slightly when he saw Scyther land rather hard. He knew it still was feeling quite injured, but he wasn't going to stop it. Scyther had to protect a group of Pokemon one last time before settling down. The only difference this time would be that it had Tracey to help it.

"Snoooor," Snorlax muttered as it prepared to battle. It didn't really want to fight, but these people were in its way and left it no choice.

"Scyther, Scyther," the elder Scyther tried to reason one more time.

"Snooooor," Snorlax answered stubbornly.

With a sigh, Scyther turned back to Tracey and nodded its head. It looked like the only way Snorlax would be able to listen to reason would be if it was defeated in battle.

"Alright, then. Scyther use X-Scissor!" Tracey yelled with a nod.

Though it struggled somewhat, Scyther took flight and created an X shape with its claws which began to glow. Snorlax wound one of its fists back to fight but Scyther was too quick, and it slammed the attack right into Snorlax's stomach. Snorlax clutched its stomach in pain before it was bombarded in the face again with another X-Scissor. This time causing it to fall over on its back.

The fat Pokemon wasn't one to be deterred, however. It managed to jump back to its feet, which completely surprised the group. Ash stared at Snorlax for a brief moment. This thing seemed to have an unlimited supply of endurance…as long as one attacked it in the midsection. Realizing that Snorlax would keep absorbing attacks due to its extremely thick stomach, Ash had a suggestion.

"I've got it, Tracey! Have Scyther attack Snorlax on the head! That has to be its weak point, and it can't absorb attacks there!" he shouted.

"Good idea, Ash," Tracey nodded before turning to Scyther. "You heard him, Scyther! Use Wing Attack on Snorlax's head!"

"Scyther!" the mantis Pokemon cried as it flew in from above this time.

Snorlax snapped its head up as it watched Scyther descend from above. It began swiping at the Scyther like one would a fly but to no avail. Scyther slammed its wings down on Snorlax's head, causing it yell in pain. The group smiled that it was starting to work.

"Alright! Use X-Scissor one more time!" Tracey called.

The mantis Pokemon quickly smashed another X-shaped attack on to Snorlax's head, causing it yell in pain one more time. It then flew back and stood next to Tracey to see the damage it had done.

"You've done great, Scyther," Tracey nodded.

"Scyyyyther," Scyther answered slowly.

"Hey, guys. Look at Snorlax! I think Scyther may have beaten it," Misty pointed.

Indeed, Snorlax was swaying from side to side after it took multiple attacks to the head with the earlier damage from its fight with Scyther. It then slowly began to stumble backwards like it was refusing to go down. One had to admire its will to stay up, but unfortunately, Snorlax was heading right for the cliff behind it.

"Uh…hey, Snorlax. Watch out for that cliff," Ash warned.

His warning fell on deaf ears, though. Snorlax continued to stumble backwards until one of its feet met air instead of ground. The group let out a gasp as Snorlax began to fall, and that's when Ash sprang into action.

"Bulbasaur! Hurry and use Vine Whip to grab Snorlax!" he yelled.

Bulbasaur appeared and immediately shot out its vines and wrapped them around Snorlax just before it fell out of view. This didn't prove to be enough, however, due to Snorlax's weight. Bulbasaur cried out as it was pulled into the air by Snorlax's fall, but Ash grabbed it just in time. That's when he started to be pulled towards the cliff, also.

"Ash!" Serena cried as she ran after him to pull back with him and Bulbasaur, but she, too, began to get pulled towards the ledge.

Realizing that everyone would have to help, the rest of the group released all of their Pokemon as they and the others chased after Serena and Ash. They all grabbed on tight and began to pull as hard as they could. They slowed down significantly, but were still slowly being pulled towards the cliff. Now having a bit of room to work with, Serena and Ash released all of their Pokemon as they too started to pull as hard as they could. At last, they came to a halt, and they breathed a sigh of relief, but there was still one problem.

"It's so heavy. We stopped it, but I don't think we'll be able to pull it up," Ash said through gritted teeth.

Sure enough, Snorlax was just simply too heavy for the group to pull up, even if they were all working together. The elder Scyther then knew that in order for this to work, the Snorlax would have to help out, as well. Scyther flew overhead and a short ways down the cliff to where Snorlax was simply dangling in midair.

"Scyther, Scy," Scyther said to Snorlax once it reached it and pointed upward with one of its claws.

Snorlax cocked its head to the side in confusion for a moment and looked up. That's right. If it recalled correctly, it was about to fall off the cliff but was probably saved by these people at the last second. That was nice of them considering it seemed to be a bother.

"Scyther!" Scyther yelled, telling to help them by climbing up.

Understanding the message, Snorlax shook its head of its slight dizziness and began to climb up the cliff. The group could feel a tremendous weight lifted off them once Snorlax began climbing. They slowly began to take one step back at a time. Snorlax was now doing the work of climbing while all they had to do was make sure to hold on. They still found it amazing how this Snorlax was able to both swim and climb, though.

After a short while, Snorlax made it up the side of the cliff. Bulbasaur released its hold of Vine Whip on Snorlax and began to pant from having such a heavy Pokemon pull on its vines like that. Everyone then let go and collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

"That was…close," Leaf sighed.

Ash was tired, too, but he shook his head while he gave a firm look at the Snorlax in front of him. Snorlax simply sat there and watched the group curiously. Ash got up and marched over to the Snorlax with Pikachu after him. There were a few things he wanted to say to the Snorlax now that they had its attention.

"Hey, Snorlax. We need to talk," Ash told it.

He was just about to begin when something unexpected happened. There was a slight rumbling noise coming from Snorlax's stomach. It opened its mouth and let out a loud burp which almost seemed to create an echo because it was so loud. People and Pokemon alike got disgusted looks on their faces once it did that, but Ash had the worst one.

"Wait a second. You're actually full now?" he questioned.

"Lax. Snorlax," Snorlax mumbled as it scratched its cheek and blushed.

Then, which further surprised everyone, Snorlax gave a huge yawn and fell over onto its back, fast asleep. It was giving soft snores as it looked quite content with itself. The group now wasn't sure whether to be relieved or annoyed. It took two island's worth of grapefruit to fill this thing up and it was in danger of plucking the whole islands clean. Now that they finally defeat it in battle and want to talk to it, Snorlax falls asleep!

"You've got to be kidding me! Don't just fall asleep after all you've done to these islands!" Ash yelled at it.

"Ash, I think it's hopeless. Snorlax won't wake up anytime soon," Serena muttered.

"That's right. They can sleep for up to twelve hours at a time, and the only way to wake one up unless it wakes up itself is with a Pokeflute," Leaf added.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu sighed. It couldn't believe this Snorlax.

In fact, the only one who wasn't annoyed with Snorlax at the moment was Togepi. It was laughing merrily at the Snorlax's antics. The young Pokemon thought it was very funny. It hoped it would be able to entertain it in the future, also.

"I guess we'll just have to catch it and talk later," Ash figured before he turned to Tracey. "I think you should be the one to have Snorlax, Tracey. You and Scyther are the ones who defeated it in battle."

"Thanks, Ash, but I actually think you should. You were the one who actually saved it from falling off the cliff. You were the one that tried more than any of us to save the islands from it, and you said you were the one who was going to talk to it," Tracey replied.

"I'm sure you'll be a great trainer for Snorlax, Ash. I know you'll be able to get through to it once you spend time with it. Right now, though, we'll just have to keep an eye on it," Serena said.

"That's right, Ash. Just make sure Snorlax doesn't take after your eating habits. It eats enough as it is," Leaf giggled and winked at Ash.

"Hey! I don't eat as much as a Snorlax!" Ash argued, though he knew she was just kidding.

"You'll do just fine, Ash," Tracey reassured before he turned to the elder Scyther. "Besides, I just got a really cool Pokemon myself, right Scyther?"

"Scyther," it nodded.

"Take a look around you, Scyther," Tracey told it as he gestured to all of their Pokemon that were out of their pokeballs. "We could all use your advice and guidance to help us out when we need it. I'm sure you'll be a great teacher to a lot these Pokemon, and you'll even be able to protect them if you need to."

Scyther looked around at all of the Pokemon around it who were smiling. Scyther then returned the smile back to them. Sure, it may not be able to protect a whole group of islands like it could in its younger days, but it could still watch over this group's Pokemon if it needed to and pass on its knowledge to the girl's Scyther and teach it to be honorable just like it was. It would be fine with that.

"Scyther!" it cried as it greeted everyone, who cried out all of their names as they greeted it back.

"Well, in that case, I'll take care of Snorlax," Ash said as he turned his hat backwards and threw the pokeball. "Pokeball, go!"

The pokeball soared through the air and hit the large Pokemon, which sucked it inside. The ball fell to the ground and immediately 'dinged' to show the capture was made since Snorlax apparently gave no effort to fight back. Ash sighed and picked up the pokeball. He stared at it for a few seconds before it transported out of his hands to Professor Oak's lab. Snorlax could just have nice sleep there for a while. It might not be a bad idea to let Professor Oak know to be careful so Snorlax doesn't eat everything at his lab.

"Well, I got Snorlax, buddy," Ash told his rodent partner.

"Pika Pi!" it cheered and held its fingers in a V-shape.

* * *

The group was now getting ready to leave the grapefruit islands. Lapras was already out of its pokeball and was waiting for everyone to get one. Ruby and few workers were there to see them off.

"Thank you so much for all you've done for this island. You all were able to stop the Snorlax. At the rate it was going, we probably wouldn't have had a single grapefruit left," Ruby said gratefully.

"Well, I don't know how much we actually did. Snorlax kind of fell asleep on its own," Ash chuckled while he rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm sure it all had something to do with your efforts," Ruby reassured before she presented a few bags. "In fact, I want you all to have these grapefruits. They just became ripe and are really fresh. It's just a small thank you."

"Awesome! We'll take them. Thanks a lot!" Ash replied as he and the others each took a bag.

"Toge! Toge!" Togepi cried as it reached for the bag, wanting a grapefruit.

"Heehee. I'll give you one soon, Togepi. They're a little too big for you to eat right now," Serena giggled.

"I'm glad Snorlax wasn't able to get to the other islands, but it's such a shame what happened to the first two," Misty muttered sadly.

At this, Ruby smiled and shook her head. "Not so. We are actually discovering that new grapefruit trees just sprang up from the ground. It looks like wherever Snorlax was, new trees are growing."

"What?!" the group gasped in amazement.

"How is that possible?" Serena wondered.

"We're not sure, but we do wonder if it somehow has something to do with Snorlax," Ruby shrugged.

"That's it. If Snorlax can actually make trees grow back, I've got to get to the bottom of how unusual this Snorlax is," Ash said firmly.

"Don't be silly, Ash," Misty frowned.

"Hmmhmm. In the meantime, we and the Pokemon will all work hard to grow these new trees, and one day, they may be even bigger and healthier than the ones before," Ruby smiled.

"I guess something good came out of this, after all," Misty commented.

"Yeah. Not only did I get a Scyther and Ash get Snorlax, but these islands may become even greater," Tracey agreed.

"With that, I think we'll take off, now," Ash said as he and Pikachu climbed on top of the waiting Lapras.

"Hey, Ash. I think you said you mentioned you're competing in the Orange League. If you head straight to the northwest, you'll get to Kumquat Island where one of the gym leaders is," Ruby told him.

"Kumquat, huh? Great! Thanks for the tip!" Ash replied with a thumbs up.

"Goodbye, everyone, and take care!" Ruby said as the rest of the group climbed on.

"We will," Ash nodded as Lapras turned and began to leave the island.

Ash continued to stare ahead in determination as they turned towards the northwest. Kumquat Island would be the site of where his next and final gym challenge would be. He had already earned three and was ready for his fourth. Not to mention, he just caught a powerful, yet very hungry, Snorlax which he couldn't wait to start training. He just had to teach it to behave first. He'll make a transfer when he gets the chance. That's when it hit Ash.

"Shoot!" he hollered as the group turned to him in surprise and took out his Pokegear. "I forgot to tell Professor Oak about Snorlax!"

"You better call him before Snorlax eats everything there, Ash," Serena advised.

"We'll soon find out. If Ash gets an earful from Professor Oak, we'll know. He likes to know when we capture certain types of Pokemon that need to be specially cared for so he isn't taken by surprise," Leaf said.

"I can actually imagine Snorlax terrorizing the place if it happened to wake up," Misty mumbled.

Ash hurriedly dialed the number to Professor Oak's lab to warn him. If he was lucky, he might have made it in time. As shown before, once that Snorlax started eating, it was really hard to stop it. That was definitely something they would need to work on. How would Ash find a way to take care of Snorlax's massive appetite? He hoped Professor Oak had an unlimited supply of Pokemon food…or grapefruits!

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed it. Ash's relationship with Snorlax will go more in detail in this fic than it did in the anime if you couldn't tell. You'll also see Tracey's Scyther teaching Serena's Scyther. However...it isn't time for any of that yet. What it IS time for is Ash's final gym battle! Some parts of it might surprise you...**

 **Thanks for all the support! See you all on December 5!**

 **Chapter 15: Teamwork at its Finest!**

 **Answering the Questions:**

 _Between Red and Riley, who is the oldest of them?_

 ** _Red._**

 _What inspired you to give Serena psychic powers?  
_

 ** _The original plan had her not have any powers. I didn't really decide to give her any until after Ash's first gym battle with Sabrina. Nothing really "inspired me" per say, but it was an idea I had after I realized I could make a really good plot line out of it in the final arc with Serena's psychic powers and_ links to...(cough).**

 _You started it in this arc, but going further down in the longer stories, how do you plan on giving more development to Ash's and Serena's travel companions?_

 ** _Yes. They will be main characters in their respective regions like May and Dawn. Brock will also get a lot of attention in Johto and especially the time he is with the group in Hoenn. Misty will leave after Johto, but I'll have a few more plots with her more involved._**

 _Will Brock return like he does in the anime or will it be different?_

 ** _It will be the same reason._**

 _In Johto, will Ash rotate is Pokemon?_

 ** _Yes._**

 _Will there be Charizard vs Dragonite in the battle against Drake?_

 ** _Won't say as it's too much of spoiler._**

 _Will Ash's Snorlax retain much of its characterization from the actual anime (lazy, usually sleeping, loves to eat, but incredible powerful if it does decide to battle), or will it be like its anime counterpart at first but thanks to some heavy training it will know when to fight and not to eat_

 ** _The latter._**

 _Ash doesn't have a Steel or Fairy type Pokemon in the series, and if he's going to become Pokemon Master, he'd be expected to have all types right?_

 _ **He will. He just simply doesn't have them all yet.**_

 _When is Green's, Blue's and Yellow's next appearance?_

 ** _They will have brief mentions and appearances in the Power of One arc._**

 _Will Silver be introduced in Johto?  
_

 ** _Oh. He'll be in Johto alright, and as one of the main characters._**

 _Have you considered adding Sawyer as another rival in Hoenn?_

 ** _It's actually quite possible. The three "new trainers" at Professor Birch's lab can be May(Torchic), Brendan(Mudkip), and Sawyer(Treecko). I've actually found Sawyer to be a great kid so we'll see. He would want to learn a lot from an experienced (by that time) trainer like Ash._**


	15. Teamwork at its Finest!

**A/N: Hello everyone! Ash's final match is here! I think you will all like the changes I made to this one. With that, please read on and enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon!**

* * *

Chapter 15: Teamwork at its Finest!

"Alright! Kumquat Island!" Ash cheered.

The group had just reached Kumquat Island and got off of Lapras. It would be home to Ash's final Orange Crew gym match. He was feeling extremely excited for his upcoming gym battle. The rest of the group was excited for Ash, too, but their eagerness was also directed at a few other things right now…like Kumquat Island's attractions.

"Oh, the guidebook says this island functions as a resort, too. We're going to have so much fun," Misty grinned as she read the guidebook.

"I know! I can't wait to go the spas they have here! We could get our nails done! We can style our hair and get massages!" Serena said eagerly.

"Don't forget all of the beaches!" Leaf chimed in.

"Oh my gosh!" all of the girls exclaimed.

"Hmm…I bet this island has some great nature trails for me to walk. I might be able to get some good sketches of some Pokemon," Tracey mused.

Ash watched his friends with a slight frown on his face. He couldn't say he wasn't looking forward to some of the fun activities that Kumquat Island was supposed to have. However, his friends seemed to be more excited for the activities than they were for him. Then again, maybe he was being a bit selfish. The world didn't revolve around him.

"Hey guys. You're still going to watch my match, right?" he asked them anyway.

"Of course we are, Ash. You know I wouldn't miss that for the world," Serena replied and leaned on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Serena," Ash smiled.

"Still, wouldn't it be great for us to get freshened up at the spa first?" Serena asked and gave Ash a cute look.

Ash blushed as he looked at his girlfriend. He began having thoughts in his head of how great Serena would look after she went to a spa. She would look simply beautiful. He then grinned like an idiot at Serena.

"Heheheh. Of course. You can do that first," he stuttered.

"Chuuuuuuu," Pikachu face palmed. Its trainer was still under a girl's spell.

"Why don't you join us, Ash? You may like it a lot more than you thought," Leaf suggested.

Ash snapped out of his thoughts of Serena and shook his head back and forth. There was no way anyone could get him to step foot into a spa. The girls could have as much fun there as they want, but he wouldn't be caught dead in one of those places.

"No thanks. You guys can count me out. I'll just train while you're there, or Tracey and I can do something else," Ash replied.

"Hmm…a spa. I bet they have really nice massages there. I'd like to have one," Tracey spoke up while rubbing his chin.

"Tracey! You're supposed to be on my side!" Ash cried.

"Just give it a try, Ash. You might like it a lot more than you think. Nothing would soothe a trainer before such an important match like a spa," Serena said.

Ash crossed his arms as he thought. He didn't know why, but there was just something about the word 'spa' that sounded so girly. Then again, it wasn't like he was five and thought all things girl related had cooties. Serena did make a good point. Relaxation might just be what he needed to help calm himself and think clearly.

"Well, alright. I'll go, too," Ash relented.

"You won't regret it, Ash!" Serena smiled.

The group was just about to head to one of the many spas when they felt a rumbling of some sort. They glanced in confusion at each other and looked around for the source. That's weird. There shouldn't be any earthquakes around here, and the Snorlax Ash captured wasn't around. What was causing it? That's when a very loud voice caught their attention.

"SONNY BOY!"

"What was that?!" Ash cried.

They soon got their answer as the rumbling grew closer. They soon spotted a rather large woman with red hair running towards them at a speed that would make Pikachu jealous. She had a really excited look on her face for some reason, and the worst part was that she was clearly aiming straight for the group.

"SON! I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" the woman shouted again as she continued to dash towards them

The group raised their eyebrows at this. The only people she seemed to be coming to was them. There wasn't anyone else around at the moment. Who was she referring to? Their instincts told them to move just a little too late because they were so surprised. The woman practically bowled over Tracey before she collided with Ash which knocked Pikachu off of his shoulder. All the girls jumped back to avoid becoming another victim. That's when they tilted their heads when they saw the woman was smothering Ash in an enormous hug.

"I'm so happy to see you again! You have no idea how happy it makes me to see you!" the woman bawled. "My love! My world! My pride! My joy! My heart!"

"Umm…not to be rude…but who are you?" Ash asked as he managed to push his face out of the woman's stomach.

"What? You don't recognize your own mama-wama? Oh, Travis! You really have been away a long time!" the woman cried as she pulled Ash into another bear hug.

The girls could do nothing but watch in astonishment at the strange scene taking place. Tracey got off the ground rather dizzily from being knocked over and watched, too. There was clearly a case of mistaken identity here. Either that, or there was some strange story in the Ketchum family that they knew nothing about.

"Wait! I'm not your son! My name is Ash Ketchum, and I already have a mother," Ash stated as he pushed himself out of the woman's grasp again.

The woman peered at Ash for a slight moment before she gasped. "Oh my gosh! You're right! I'm so sorry, but you look just like my son, Travis!"

"Travis?" Ash echoed.

"Yes. He left to go on his Pokemon journey with a Pikachu, too," the woman explained.

"I guess your son must look a lot like Ash," Leaf figured as she and the other girls crept a little closer to the woman now that she didn't look like she would run them over.

"He does. I spotted you all from far away, and I guess I just had a moment of wishful thinking," the woman said as she thought about the day her son left.

"He sounds cool to me. The fact that he left on a Pokemon journey must mean he loves Pokemon a lot just like I do!" Ash smiled.

"Oh, he does. I can tell that you two would get along just fine if you were ever to meet," the woman nodded before she added, "He challenged the Orange League first but soon had to leave so he could visit other regions."

"Hey! That's what I'm doing! I'm challenging the Orange League right now, too, and I've already won three badges! Since your son challenged the Orange League, does that mean you know who the gym leader here is?" Ash questioned.

The woman got a glint in her eye and placed her hands on her hips. "I'll do you one better. My name is Luana, and I'm the gym leader of this island and a member of the Orange Crew!"

"You're the gym leader?!" everyone gasped.

"Of course. Watching me was what got my son interested in Pokemon to begin with," Luana said.

"Well, in that case, I'd like to challenge you to a gym battle, ma'am," Ash said politely.

"Oh. I'd be pleased to have a match with you, Ash. Challenge accepted!" Luana smiled.

"Great! So do I have to pass a test to qualify like I did with the others?" Ash wondered.

"Actually no. You see, my battle is all about teamwork. That is challenging enough as it is. If you and your Pokemon don't work together, you'll never be able to beat me," Luana explained.

"So what kind of battle is it?" Ash asked curiously.

"Rather than tell you, I'll show you! Why don't you all follow me to the Kumquat Hotel? I own it," the woman suggested as she turned and gestured for the group to follow her.

"You own a hotel?" Serena asked in interest.

"I sure do. That's also where the Pokemon gym is," Luana affirmed.

"Wow. That's the perfect combination. Ash can have his gym match, and we can have a good time, too," Tracey figured.

"Since Ash is there to have a gym match, I'll consider you all my personal guests, and you can stay your first night there for free!" Luana smiled.

"Oh, thank you! That's so nice!" Serena replied gratefully.

"Of course. It's the special deal I give to all trainers who come to battle me," Luana nodded.

"I'm glad you mistook me for your son, then. Otherwise, we wouldn't have known about any of this!" Ash grinned.

* * *

Once they reached the Kumquat Hotel, the group couldn't help but stare in awe at it. The hotel was definitely one of the largest they had ever seen and was some sort of resort. There was the main building, of course, but the group could see a list of features on a sign that listed a few courts for sports, a huge pool, a hot spring, and a full service spa to name a few things.

"Oh, my goodness. I think I found paradise," Misty muttered in shock.

"This place is incredible," Tracey agreed.

"Why thank you! You're free to use all of the facilities here as you please!" Luana said kindly.

"This is so cool! I can't wait!" Leaf gushed as they entered.

Ash himself couldn't help but be impressed, too. He figured if there was any good place for them to stay at while they were on Kumquat Island, this would be it. Maybe they would have some time to play in the pool before he had his gym match. His Pokemon would surely like that, too.

The large set of double doors slid open, and the group was immediately greeted by a row of concierges who all bowed to Luana. One of them then walked up to her.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," he greeted.

"Hello, Chilton. Would you please prepare a deluxe suite for my guests?" Luana requested.

"Right away," Chilton responded as he left.

"Our own deluxe suite?" Misty echoed.

"That's right. It comes with a full sized living room, two bathrooms and two bedrooms," Luana smiled.

"Awesome!" the group exclaimed.

"Come along. I'll show you where the gym room is," Luana gestured as she led them through the main lobby.

This was definitely one of the finer hotels on Kumquat Island. Everything just looked so magnificent. The group didn't think they could find a better hotel here if they tried. As they walked along, they spotted the room that led to the hot tub and pool, definitely something to check out a little later. They also noticed a gym room that had a large glass window, but rather than people in that gym there were Pokemon who were working out.

"That's our gym within our gym as we like to call it," Luana smiled. "We have one for people, too, on the second floor, but that one is exclusively used for Pokemon."

"That's pretty cool. I bet my Pokemon would love to get whipped into shape before the match," Ash said.

"Piiiiii?" Pikachu inquired as it looked at Ash strangely.

"Don't worry, Pikachu. I'm sure they have things in there that are just your size," Ash told it.

Pikachu wasn't so sure. It had an imagination in its head where it tried to lift up a dumbbell, only to fall over due to the weight. Treadmills didn't seem very Pikachu-friendly, either. It was fast, but if something went wrong, it would go flying clear across the room and hit the wall. Pikachu then squinted its eyes and happened to see another Pikachu lifting weights in the room. They appeared to be about an inch across each and were perfect for Pikachu's tiny size. The horror thoughts of working out then did a sharp turn as Pikachu imagined itself with as many muscles as a Machamp. Maybe it could work out, after all.

The continued walking for another short moment and soon entered through another set of double doors. Luana led them into a rather large room that had a small row of stadium style seating off to the side. A pokeball symbol as in the center of the room. Luana then spread out arms out and smiled at the group.

"Here were are, everyone. This is where all the gym matches are held!" the woman presented.

"Wow! This is the nicest gym I've ever seen!" Trace commented.

"It's almost like it's its own stadium," Leaf added.

"So what kind of battles do you do here?" Serena asked.

"Well, for people who just want to battle for fun, it's anything goes. Anyone who actually wants to challenge me for a Jade Star Badge gets treated to something a little different," Luana replied.

"What is it?" Ash wondered.

"A Triple Battle," Luana answered.

"You mean where three Pokemon battle at the same time?" Ash asked.

"That's right. Normally a triple battle is won when at least one Pokemon is left standing on the other end, but in order to get the badge, all of your Pokemon still need to be standing at the end of the match," Luana explained.

"So Ash can't lose a single Pokemon?" Serena inquired.

"This isn't anything new, Serena. The other battles I've had here in the Orange Islands had exceptionally hard rules, too," Ash reminded.

"Careful, Ash. The difference from here and your match with Danny is that you'll be trying to give orders to three different Pokemon at a time. You'll really need to stay focused," Tracey said.

"It'll be no problem, Tracey. My Pokemon and I can ace this match. We're strong enough to win and can work perfectly as a team after all we've been through," Ash declared

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added.

"Ash, that's the kind of attitude every Pokemon trainer should have!" Luana asserted and gave Ash a hearty slap on the back, which almost knocked him over.

"Thanks," Ash muttered as he rubbed his now slightly sore back.

"You know, the way you talk about Pokemon is just the way my son, Travis, does," Luana said as an afterthought.

"I guess Travis and Ash really are a lot alike," Misty figured.

"Mmmhmm. We'll have our match tomorrow after a lunch. Until then, use all of the hotel's facilities as you please. So go and relax," Luana told them.

"We will. Thanks a lot!" the group replied as they left the room.

* * *

"The beauty salon! Yes!" Misty cheered as she, Serena, and Leaf stood in front of it.

"I can't wait to see all they have in here! Let's go!" Serena said before they went in.

"Welcome to our salon! Luana already informed us that you three are her special guests. Please go right on through," the doorman said.

The girls' eyes all sparkled as they saw the salon in front of them, particularly Serena. She couldn't wait to see how she would look once they were done. She would probably look so cute, and Ash would think so, too. The thought made her blush.

"Welcome. Which area would you like to try first?" a stylist asked them.

"I say we get our nails done first. We don't come across an opportunity like this very often since we travel so much," Leaf suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Serena smiled.

"Me, too," Misty shrugged.

The stylist then led the girls over to a room where several chairs were line up. She showed them to three empty ones that happened to be next to each other she bowed and left the room. It wasn't long before three manicurists appeared and walked over to the girls and asked them to choose the color of their polish. Serena and Leaf chose pink while Misty chose red. The manicurists then proceeded to file the girls' nails in preparation for the polish.

Serena let out a smile as all of this was going on. She didn't know why, but she just felt there was something mature about going to a salon. Speaking of growing up…

"Hey, Serena. Ash's birthday is coming up soon. Do you know what you're getting him yet?" Leaf asked.

Serena's eyes went wide when she heard that question. Leaf was right. Ash's birthday was in just a few weeks! He would be turning twelve, and it was the last year before he became a teenager. She had no idea what to get him! Last year, she had gotten him various pictures of both him and her together which he really liked. She remembered also on her previous birthday that he had gotten her the heart shaped pendent that she had worn every day since then. On her birthday before that, he had even gotten her favorite pink hat and replaced it when that one was lost. It would be hard to top those.

"I don't have a clue, Leaf," Serena mumbled.

"He's Ash. I'm sure he'll like his gift no matter what you get him," Leaf reminded.

"That's right. He likes a lot of things that involve Pokemon," Misty said.

"I don't just want to get him something like that. I want to get him something more meaningful. Every year Ash manages to get me an amazing gift without even trying. Meanwhile, I struggle every year," Serena sighed.

"That isn't a bad thing. That just means that you want Ash to have the best," Leaf said.

"What did you get him?" Serena asked Leaf curiously.

"I haven't gotten anything for him yet, but there is this new item out called the Vs. Seeker. It works by sending a signal in the surrounding area and lets the user know who wants to battle. I'll probably get him that. Since Ash loves battling so much, it might come in handy in large gatherings," Leaf explained.

"Wow. How do those work?" Serena asked in interest.

"Beats me, but I think the infomercials said something about it senses a person's fighting spirit. Technology these days," Leaf mused.

"Right, and I think I'm going to get Ash some upgrades to his Pokegear. There's some really cool, new gadgets they just came out with," Misty said.

"Hmmm…," Serena thought.

"Try not to stress about it. We'll give Ash the best birthday he's ever had yet! We're in a luxury resort right now. You're bound to find something nice," Leaf reassured.

Serena closed her eyes to think about that. She had no idea where they would end up in a few weeks when Ash's twelfth birthday came around. It might be best to try to find something here while she could get something nice. Serena didn't know how long she had, but she was determined to get Ash the best gift possible just like he does with her.

Once the manicure was finished, the girls smiled at the work that had been done. Their nails looked incredibly neat now. They thanked the manicurists and then decided to go for the massage area. Serena had no qualms about that. Maybe while she was relaxing, that would clear her head and allow her to think better at what to get Ash. As the three girls entered the massage area, they let out a gasp at who was there as they clearly weren't expecting it.

"Ash?!" they all exclaimed. What on Earth had gotten him to come here?

Indeed, Ash was lying in one of the chairs and wore a robe and looked utterly content right now. A massage therapist was working on his shoulders, and he was sighing in happiness almost every five seconds. Tracey, also in a robe, was in the chair next to him with his own massage therapist. Not too far away were Pikachu, Togepi, Wartortle, Bulbasaur, and Dratini who had an unfamiliar Pokemon massaging them. They sort of looked like Chansey, but they had bits of white on their bodies and their hair curled inward rather than outward like a Chansey's and had wing-like tufts on its hips and shoulders.

"Are those Blissey?" Leaf wondered in curiosity.

"Blissey?" Serena questioned as she and Leaf took out their national dexes to scan the new Pokemon.

"Blissey, the Happiness Pokemon and the evolved form of Chansey. Blissey have very compassionate natures and love spreading happiness to everyone it comes in contact with," the dexes explained.

"So Blissey massage the Pokemon here at the hotel," Serena mused.

"That's right. No Pokemon has a healing and soothing touch like Blissey. They are the perfect Pokemon for our salons," the massage therapist with Ash explained.

At sound of the voice, Ash seemed to snap out of his trance. He turned to the side and saw the three girls giving him an incredulous look. He gave them a cheesy grin.

"Hey girls," Ash greeted.

"What are you doing here? I thought you hated the ideas of salons," Misty wondered, voicing the other two girls' thoughts.

"Well, Tracey and I were at the pool, but he told me that nothing soothes a trainer before a match like a massage to gather their thoughts. Now that I'm here, I'm glad I came. I don't want to leave, Ash sighed.

"Chuuuu," Pikachu cooed as a Blissey rubbed its cheeks.

"See Ash? It isn't as bad as you thought it would be," Tracey smiled from beside him.

Bulbasaur, Wartortle, Dratini, and Togepi seemed to be enjoying themselves, as well. The girls couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as Wartortle seemed to have a new pair of sunglasses on and looked quite relaxed with its arms behind its head while a Blissey rubbed its shell. Ash must have just bought the turtle Pokemon those sunglasses a moment ago at the gift shop here in the hotel. Wartortle had been begging Ash for some since it discovered its old ones were too small upon evolving. Bulbasaur seemed to have no problems with its massage, but Dratini looked rather nervous and kept needing to be reassured by the Blissey that everything was okay. The Blissey that was with Togepi was having quite a hard time because Togepi wouldn't quit moving. It was almost humorous.

"So Ash? Are these the Pokemon you're going to use in your match tomorrow?" Serena asked, referring to Bulbasaur, Wartortle, and Dratini.

"Yeah," Ash answered as the massage therapist moved to his left hand. "I figured since Wartortle and Bulbasaur are great friends that they would work really well together in a battle that involves teamwork."

"Yeah. I bet they'll create some great combinations," Serena agreed.

"Mmmhmm. I chose Dratini because this would be a great opportunity for it to come out of its shell and start working with my other Pokemon rather than relying on my company all of the time. I know Wartortle and Bulbasaur will do a great job showing it the ropes of how to work as a team," Ash elaborated.

"I think you picked the perfect Pokemon for this match," Serena smiled as she, Misty, and Leaf sat in three empty chairs near Ash and Tracey.

"Yeah. They'll do great," Ash agreed.

The only Pokemon who didn't seem so sure was Dratini. It kept giving shifty eyes at Wartortle and Bulbasaur. They had always made the dragon Pokemon rather nervous. Bulbasaur was sometimes too serious for its liking while Wartortle was too into…joking around. Wartortle and Bulbasaur noticed Dratini watching them and gave it a thumbs up…or a vines up in Bulbasaur's case, which caused Dratini to blush in nervousness and turn away.

"Hey, Dratini. You'll do just fine in the match tomorrow. We'll all be working together, and I think this will be really good for you," Ash reassured once he saw the dragon Pokemon's reaction.

"Pika, Pikachu," Pikachu reassured Dratini, as well. The yellow rodent seemed to be the only one of Ash's Pokemon that Dratini wasn't nervous around.

Dratini looked back to Wartortle and Bulbasaur who were still attempting to smile at it. If Ash and Pikachu both said it could trust those two Pokemon, then it believed them. The truth was it always was a little lonely when it stayed at Professor Oak's lab. It could use some more friends and Pokemon it trusted in its life. Ash and Pikachu were right. This match would be good for it.

* * *

It was the next day and time for Ash's fourth and final Orange League gym match. Ash and Luana were standing on opposite sides of the gym facing each other with determination. The rest of the group was in the stadium-style seating to watch. Ash was extremely relaxed from yesterday and was thinking really clearly. After the spa, he, his Pokemon, and the rest of the group played in the pool. He was both physically and mentally ready for this battle. He felt like he couldn't make any rookie mistakes right now. Now his Pokemon just needed to feel the same way, and then they could win this match.

"This battle will pit the Kumquat gym leader, Luana, against visiting trainer from Pallet Town, Ash Ketchum! It will be a triple Pokemon battle! The rule for the trainer is he must not simply win this match. He must have all of his Pokemon standing in order to win a Jade Star Badge!" the judge, who happened to be Chilton, announced.

"Well, Ash. I'll go ahead and show you my three Pokemon first! I choose…Mawowak, Kadabra, and Dodrio!" Luana stated as she released the three Pokemon.

"Not a problem! I'll choose Wartortle, Bulbasaur, and Dratini!" Ash countered and threw his own pokeballs to release them.

Wartortle, Bulbasaur, and Dratini all appeared from their respective pokeball with a cry. Upon coming out, Wartortle clapped its hand against Bulbasaur's vine to show they were ready to work together. Dratini was a little more hesistant. Ash, Pikachu Wartortle, and Bulbasaur then put either their hand, paw, or front foot in to pump themselves up. They then looked at Dratini expectantly.

The dragon Pokemon was little apprehensive about this. A match like this would indeed be good for it, but it still couldn't get over its crippling shyness. It wasn't like it was scared of Bulbasaur or Wartortle. They were always nice to it. Dratini was just worried about working together with them and thought it might hold the two back.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu said to Dratini.

"Bulba, Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur encouraged.

"Wartortle! Wartortle!" Wartortle added.

"Come on, Dratini. I have faith in you, and so do Wartortle and Bulbasaur. Remember what I told you in your battle with Jeanette a while back? I wouldn't put you in this battle if I didn't think you'd do well. I'll be right behind you the entire time, and Wartortle and Bulbasaur have your back, too," Ash told it, followed by a cry of agreement from his other two battlers for this match.

Dratini slowly crawled towards the group upon hearing that. If its beloved trainer said that it was fine, then Dratini believed him. It would try to work together with others in this battle. It was no secret that when Dratini was with Ash, it always clung to him rather than play with his other Pokemon. Ash was hoping this would open a few doors for friendship between Dratini and the others. Dratini finally put the end of its tail into the center of the group to show it was ready.

"Alright, guys! Let's win this!" Ash declared as he and the others broke contact.

"Ash will have to pull out everything in his arsenal to win this one. Not only do Luana's Pokemon outmatch Ash's in power, but they've probably worked together several times and know all kinds of combinations they can use with each other," Tracey observed.

"Not to mention all of his Pokemon need to be left standing. That just makes it harder," Misty affirmed.

"That's why Ash really planned ahead here and got as relaxed as possible so he doesn't make any mistakes. I think he picked the perfect team here, and it really gives those three a chance to shine since they haven't battled in the Orange League yet," Leaf rebutted.

"I'm not saying Ash will lose. I just think this will be his hardest match yet, even harder than Cissy," Tracey replied.

Serena didn't want to admit it, but she knew Tracey was right. Leaf was correct in saying Ash really did his best in preparing for this match, but that didn't change the fact that Luana's Pokemon were really experienced in this. She gave a deep breath and looked down at Togepi who was bouncing up and down in her lap to cheer for its "daddy". Well, at least it was always optimistic about Ash's battles.

"Come on, Ash! You can do it!" Serena yelled, despite her slight nervousness.

"We'll be fine, Serena!" Ash yelled up to the stands and flashed her a smile and a thumbs up. He then turned to Luana. "I'm ready when you are!"

"Good attitude! I like it, Ash! All of your Pokemon seem like great friends and I can't wait to see what they pull off together!" Luana nodded.

"I'll try not to disappoint you, then!" Ash responded in confidence.

"Both trainers seem ready! With that, let the match begin!" Chilton declared.

"Marowak, jump on Dodrio's back, and Kadabra, use your Confusion attack!" Luana yelled.

Marowak hopped on Dodrio's back and the two began to speed towards Wartortle and Bulbasaur at breakneck speed. Dodrio was extremely quick so Ash had to act fast.

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip on Dodrio's feet to trip it up, and Wartortle, use Water Gun on Marowak to push it off Dodrio's back. Dratini, use Dragon Breath on Kadabra to distract it!" Ash ordered.

All of the Pokemon launched their respective attacks at the opposing Pokemon. That's when they were all surprised when Dodrio and Marowak completely disappeared before the attacks hit! Bulbasaur and Wartortle immediately halted their attacks and stood flabbergasted at what had just happened.

"It's the Kadabra! Watch out!" Ash warned. He knew it was using its psychic powers to teleport its two teammates.

Dratini was about to use Dragon Pulse on Kadabra to stop it, but it immediately felt something was wrong with the air around it. It was so eerie, and it really spooked the dragon Pokemon. It knew that those two other opposing Pokemon would be appearing right in front of it to attack. Unable to help itself, Dratini crawled as fast as it could away from the danger and left its two teammates wondering what was going on.

"No, Dratini!" Ash cried at seeing the Pokemon run…err…crawl for its life.

Wartortle and Bulbasaur tried to keep a lookout for Dodrio and Marowak themselves since Dratini had run away now. They suddenly felt a rumbling and went to jump out of the way, but they were too late. Dodrio, with Marowak still on its back, appeared right in front of the two and was still traveling at full speed! Marowak reached out with its big bone club and swiped at Wartortle and Bulbasaur on its way by. It happened so fast that nobody even saw the attack!

Dodrio soon came to a halt as it and Marowak turned around to assess the damage they did. Wartortle and Bulbasaur still stood in their stunned state. It didn't even look like they knew what had just happened. The two blinked twice before the completely unexpected happened. They let out a shutter and collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"Bulbasaur! Wartortle!" Ash cried.

"The match can't be over already!" Tracey exclaimed as he and the others stood up from their seats to get a better look.

Everyone waited for about fifteen seconds to see if Bulbasaur or Wartortle would get back up. The two weren't moving and were showing no signs they were even still conscious. Chilton let out a sigh and raised his hands up.

"Wartortle and Bulbasaur are unable to battle! While Dratini is still able, the rules state all Pokemon must still be willing to fight to get the badge! This match goes to Luana!" he declared.

Ash simply stood there with his mouth hanging open. He couldn't believe it. Not only had he lost the match, but it was over so quickly. After only one attack! That bone must have been the bludgeon of death because of the speed Dodrio was traveling at. Not to mention the bone that Marowak was holding seemed a lot more durable and bigger than others. It was carrying the Thick Club.

Ash slowly walked to his two fallen Pokemon until he was beside them. He then fell to his knees and sat there for moment just looking at them, like he was in some trance. His brain was still trying to process what had just transpired and how quickly it happened.

Luana returned her three Pokemon to her pokeball and made her way over to Ash. She put her hand on his shoulder which finally triggered a reaction from Ash. He looked up at the woman, his eyes almost shining with tears.

"You have no idea how many people have fallen to that technique, Ash. One of your goals in this match is to try to figure out a way to beat that combination. I believe you can think of a way, and I'll give you some time to think about it. Just let me know, and we can rematch at any time," she said.

Ash slowly nodded his head at Luana's words. Luana then took her hands off Ash's shoulder and left the gym with Chilton following her. Ash then slowly turned to Bulbasaur and Wartortle who were still knocked out. Ash finally took out his pokeballs and held them out in front of Wartortle and Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, Wartortle, thank you. Return," he mumbled and called back to the two fallen Pokemon. He then merely looked at the ground, his cap creating a shadow and covering his eyes.

"Pika, Pi," Pikachu tried to console as it patted Ash's arm and licked it gently.

"Oh, Ash," Serena meekly said as she and the others watched the scene in front of them and almost looked as upset as Ash. They had no idea what to say about this total shut out. Serena, Misty, and Leaf knew that Ash hadn't been beaten this badly since his first battle against Sabrina of the Saffron gym a long time ago. This was really quite a shock.

Dratini finally crawled away from the corner it was in now that it knew the grounds were safe. Upon seeing how devastated its trainer looked, Dratini felt completely awful. It knew where Dodrio and Marowak were going to appear and could've warned Bulbasaur and Wartortle, but it turned tail and fled as soon as it sensed danger. It completely failed them as a team player. It had failed them, and worst of all, Dratini felt as though it failed Ash, too. If it wasn't so scared of everything, it could've helped Wartortle and Bulbasaur avoid the deadly attack, and the match would still be going on, but that wasn't the case.

Unable to hold back its feelings longer, Dratini began to cry. It felt so pathetic. Dratini had been so busy thinking that it didn't notice Ash and gotten up and went over to it. Dratini felt a hand on its head, and it looked up to see Ash smiling at it. Even though he was smiling, Dratini could still sense he was hurting. It showed in his eyes, and Dratini knew it was its fault that Ash felt this way.

"Hey, Dratini. It's okay. Don't blame yourself," Ash told it softly.

Despite its trainer's words, they didn't do anything to make Dratini feel better. If anything, it felt worse. They had lost the match because of it, and Ash wasn't even mad at it. He was being so nice, but Dratini did nothing to reward him but flee from danger despite reassurance from Wartortle, and Bulbasaur that they would support it and wouldn't leave its side. Yes, they didn't leave its side, but it left theirs, and they had been the ones to pay the price. Dratini leaned into its trainer's stomach and continued to cry in its feeble state.

Ash embraced the dragon Pokemon in comfort before he finally looked up at his friends. Ash could tell they were all almost as shocked and upset about the shutout as he was. He had become so strong and placed in the Top Four in the Pokemon League, and now, he just lost in the worst way. He sighed and looked back down at Dratini.

All of the people in the room were thinking the exact same thing. What were they going to do about Dratini's crippling shyness?

* * *

Ash was in the living room of his deluxe suite. It was almost eleven o'clock at night, and everyone else had already gone to bed. The only ones up were him, Pikachu, Wartortle, Bulbasaur, and Dratini. They were all sitting in a circle on the floor, each not saying much.

After the match earlier, Ash had left the hotel and went to the Kumquat Island Pokemon Center. He had been silent the entire time and didn't talk to anyone. Even after his Pokemon were healed, he only gave short responses anything the others said to him, even Serena. They didn't know what he must be going through, but they did know it hurt to think you were really getting good as a trainer only for something like this happened. They had eventually let it go and knew Ash wanted to deal with this problem on his own. They did just that and gave him his space for the rest of the day.

Though neither of the Pokemon or human said much, it was Dratini who said the least. It was still looking down at the ground with its eyes full of sadness. Boy, did it mess up that last battle. Nobody had mentioned the incident being its fault, and it knew they never would. Still, Dratini couldn't help but think all of their thoughts were on it. That, of course, made it feel awful all over again.

"Guys," Ash spoke, which drew all of his Pokemon's attention, "I'm not changing my strategy. I'm still using you three when I have a rematch with Luana."

The Pokemon nodded their heads at that. They honestly weren't expecting Ash to switch them out as it wasn't in his character. He was always the type of trainer who if he saw a problem, he wouldn't run away from it. He was going to confront it directly. If he was having trouble with the Pokemon he was using, well, they would just overcome the odds and win like they always did.

"I think we all know we can work really well as a team. That much is certain," Ash stated before he smiled at Pikachu, Wartortle, and Bulbasaur. "You weren't there Dratini, but a while back on my eleventh birthday, Serena and I got lost in a snowstorm. After a few close calls with our lives, we all ended up spending the night in a snow cave we had made. We were all doing what we could to stay alive. We were hungry, yes, but Serena's and my Charmeleon at the time were giving us great heat. Things were going really well, but then a disaster happened."

At this, Dratini quirked its head in curiosity. Pikachu, Wartortle, and Bulbasaur all grimaced at the memory. It certainly wasn't pleasant what had happened. After the pause, Ash continued with his story.

"The blizzard had gotten so fierce, that it whisked away part of the protective wall we made in the cave. A blast of cold air was now blowing through the wall, and it was so cold. That's when I made a mistake. Getting so wrapped up in protecting the others, I ran to the hole as fast as I could and plugged it with my own body," Ash recounted.

Dratini's eyes widened at that. That must have felt absolutely horrendous.

"Oh yeah. It was cold, alright. I don't think I've ever been so cold in my life," Ash said upon seeing Dratini's expression. He then went on. "I then told everyone to stay as far away as they could so they could keep warm, but…they all refused. I ordered them all back to their pokeballs so they wouldn't have to feel the cold I was."

"Piiiiiiika," Pikachu moaned at how Ash miserable looked at the time with his body against the cold. Wartortle and Bulbasaur also put on grim expressions.

"That was when Serena told me I didn't have to be by myself. I had her and all of my Pokemon who loved me and wanted to protect me. That's when all of my Pokemon came out of their pokeballs to show they agreed with her," Ash said and put on a smile.

Dratini continued to listen to the story intently.

"Of course I was scared of being in the cold by myself, but I forgot that everyone around me was just wanting to protect me. They all wanted to help me. They all wanted be there for me like I've always been there with them," Ash continued. "They all reminded me that I was never alone, and that I can always rely on them when times are tough. Since that incident, our bonds have become even stronger and we're even better friends, too!"

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur said as it got closer to Ash and rested its head on his lap. Wartortle hesitated for just a second with its cool attitude but gave it up and scooted closer to Ash, too. Pikachu got in Ash's lap, and now Ash and the three Pokemon were looking at Dratini.

"I'm telling you this so you know that you're never alone, either, Dratini. I know battles can sometimes be a little scary, but you have to remember you have great friends like Bulbasaur, Wartortle, and Pikachu here who will look at for you when times are tough. That doesn't include just battling, but for any situation," Ash informed it.

"Pika!" Pikachu smiled.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur agreed.

"Wartortle!" Wartortle added in.

"That's what teamwork is," Ash told Dratini. "They won't leave you alone in any situation, and in turn, you don't leave them alone in a situation."

At this, Dratini lowered its head. It still remembered how it completely abandoned Bulbasaur and Wartortle. Upon seeing its expression, Ash smiled at it.

"I think Wartortle and Bulbasaur forgive you for that, right guys?" he asked him.

"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur affirmed.

"Waaaaar…," Wartortle muttered and pretended that it was thinking about it. Upon being slapped in the back of the head by one of Bulbasaur's vines, Wartortle put on cheesy grin and said it was only joking, which signaled that it had forgiven Dratini, too.

"You see? You don't worry about that any longer," Ash assured. "When we have our rematch, we're going to work perfectly as a team and be able to win that badge. We just have to remember that we're here for each other and bail the other out of danger if it looks like it's about to happen. The saying may be old, but anything can be accomplished as a team, and that includes battling. We can work as a team. I know it."

Dratini gave the equivalent of a smile at Ash's words. He was right. Dratini wouldn't be running away anymore. Even if it was scared, it wasn't going to back down and leave its teammates behind again. It was going to prove that it could work with others and look out for them just like they've promised to look out for it. They wouldn't leave its side, and neither would it. Dratini slid over to Ash and nuzzled its face into his chest affectionately.

"Glad to see that, Dratini," Ash smiled as he rubbed its head. He then addressed all of his Pokemon. "Guys, it's only been a day, but I think we're ready. Early tomorrow morning, I'm going to ask Luana for a rematch. We're going to find a way to beat her Pokemon's strategy with one of our own. This time, we're going to win!"

All of his Pokemon gave a cry of agreement at this. They were all ready for the battle tomorrow. Pikachu wouldn't actively be participating, but it would still be supporting everyone and next to Ash the whole time. They all knew that their friends would be there tomorrow, too, to support them.

"Of course, it might not be a bad idea to have another massage before the battle to relax us. Who's up for one?" Ash joked, causing his Pokemon to laugh.

Unbeknownst to them, Serena had the door to her room cracked and was watching. She had heard the entire story of Ash recalling his time in the cave to help Dratini, and it really warmed her heart. Ash was so good to his Pokemon and always knew the proper thing to say to them. Serena wasn't part of the competition, but even she felt ready for Luana after hearing Ash's talk.

Serena let out a small smile before she came from the door and got in her bed. She knew that Ash was going to win tomorrow. They had already proved they had amazing teamwork and a strong bond. That was enough to overcome anything Luana through at them. He was going to get that final Orange League badge.

 _"Go get 'em, Ash,"_ Serena thought.

* * *

Ash and Luana were once again facing each other in the Kumquat Island Gym. Luana had been rather surprised when Ash had asked her to battle again so soon, but she still happily agreed. The rest of the group was back in the stadium seating with rather nervous looks on their faces. All except Serena as she saw the talk Ash had given all of his Pokemon the previous night.

"Ash! Your determination to battle after a loss really reminds me of my son, Travis! You two really are a lot alike!" Luana stated.

"Wait until you see what a team my Pokemon and I can be now!" Ash replied.

Luana nodded. "I look forward to it."

"This will an official rematch at the Kumquat Island Gym! The gym leader, Luana, will be facing Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town once more! The rules are still the same! The challenger must have all of his Pokemon standing at the end of the match in order to win the Jade Star Badge!" Chilton announced.

"Agreed!" Ash declared, even though it wasn't necessary.

"Well, Ash. I'll use the same Pokemon I did yesterday: Kadabra, Marowak, and Dodrio!" Luana said as she released the three Pokemon.

"I'm using the same Pokemon, too! Wartortle, Bulbasaur, Dratini, I choose you!" Ash responded as he released his own respective Pokemon.

As soon as his Pokemon appeared, they all turned to Ash. They had a look in their eyes that really told him they wanted to win, even Dratini. They weren't about to fall for the same thing twice and nothing would take them by surprise. They all had each other's backs in this one. They all nodded to each other and turned back to Luana, ready to begin the match.

"What made Ash want to battle Luana again so suddenly? He hasn't even trained his Pokemon any since he lost the match," Misty commented.

"You guys didn't see Ash last night," Serena replied seriously. "The way Ash was talking to and encouraging his Pokemon was really inspiring. He recounted our incident at the Snow Cave to Dratini and used that to let Dratini know that we're there for it so it doesn't need to run away anymore."

"Oh. I remember that. It was almost a year ago," Misty said. "You two were lost the whole night, and Brock and I were really worried.

"You guys were lost in a snowstorm before. I've got to hear what you and your Pokemon did to survive!" Tracey said.

"We will later, Tracey," Serena smiled.

"Without further ado, let the match begin!" Chilton declared from below, and the match was on.

"Kadabra! Use Teleport on Dodrio and Marowak!" Luana yelled.

Kadabra appeared to be concentrating hard, and in an instant, both Dodrio and Marowak were gone. Ash narrowed his eyes at this. He wasn't about to let a repeat of last time happen.

"Dratini! Try to sense where Dodrio and Marowak are!" Ash called.

Dratini felt a little scared at first, but it soon remembered Ash's words. Its teammates were going to help it out, and in turn, it was going to help them out. Dratini closed its eyes and concentrated for only a second. It knew it had to be quick because Dodrio and Kadabra were going to appear at any time. It was then able to pick up a slight change in the air between it and its teammates. They were going after all three of them this time, and it was coming from above them. Dratini spun around and cried out in the direction they were about to appear, and Ash acted immediately.

"All of you jump forward!" he hollered.

The three Pokemon dove just as Dodrio and Marowak appeared. They were both coming down from the air above and were ready to strike, Dodrio with its three beaks and Marowak with its Thick Club. All the attacks met was air, however.

"Try again, Kadabra!" Luana ordered, but Ash was ready.

As soon as Kadabra teleported Dodrio and Marowak, Ash made his move. He knew how to stop that Kadabra in its tracks. "Extreme Speed on Kadabra, Dratini!"

Dratini almost seemed to teleport, too, as it moved so fast. Kadabra blinked in surprise for a moment before Dratini suddenly appeared in front it and rammed its head into the psi Pokemon's stomach. Kadabra gave a groan of pain and momentarily lost focus. This in turn caused Marowak and Dodrio to be visible. Marowak was riding Dodrio again and seemed to be using the same strategy that beat them before. The big difference was everyone could see them now.

"Use Vine Whip to trip up, Dodrio, Bulbasaur!" Ash told it.

Bulbasaur immediately shot its vines forward, but Dodrio nimbly dodged the vines, but Bulbasaur smirked as it was expecting this. Rather than try to wrap its vines around Drodrio's talons, it just merely swiped them to side where Dodrio went. Dodrio tripped over the vines, and all three of its heads smashed into the ground, which caused Marowak to go sailing through the air.

"Use Water Gun on Marowak, Wartortle!" Ash yelled.

Wartortle took a small breath before it launched forward the stream of water. Its practice with moving targets had really paid off as it hit Marowak with perfect precision. Marowak was pushed into the wall of the stadium and guzzled water for a few more moments before it fell to the ground in pain. The three Pokemon stood up. Even though they were both damaged, it was of little consequence as they were surrounding Ash's three Pokemon now.

"Use Confusion, Kadabra!" Luana ordered.

"Use Extreme Speed again, Dratini!" Ash countered.

Kadabra happened to be a little quicker this time since it knew to focus on Dratini. Even though the dragon Pokemon was moving blindingly fast. It soon found itself in Kadabra's clutches. It began to struggle as Luana gave her next order.

"Now that Dratini is tied up, Marowak, use Bonemerang on Bulbasaur, and Dodrio, use Tri Attack on Wartortle," she said.

"Not so fast! Grab Marowak's arm with Vine Whip, and Counter Dodrio's Tri Attack with Water Gun!" Ash yelled.

Before Marowak could throw the bone, Bulbasaur's Vine Whip wrapped around its throwing arm which prevented it from moving its arm. Bulbasaur then threw Marowak in an arc and slammed it down into the ground. Upon hitting the ground, Marowak was able to throw the bone, but now instead of aiming for Bulbasaur it was aiming at the incapacitated Dratini. Wartortle shot a huge blast of water to counter Tri Attack, but it wasn't as lucky due to Dodrio's stronger power and was struck with the attack. It bounced back several yards before landing on the back of its shell.

Dratini, meanwhile, was still caught by Kadabra's Confusion attack. Kadabra's eyes glowed blue a second time before it pointed its finger at the ground and slammed Dratini into it, causing it to cry in pain. The dragon Pokemon then noticed the Thick Club heading straight for it from Marowak's misdirected Bonemerang. Kadabra noticed this, too, and held Dratini in place to ensure it was struck. Dratini got a frightened look on its face and braced itself for the impact. It knew this was going to hurt.

"Wartortle, fire your Water Gun at that Bonemerang to protect Dratini!" Ash hollered.

Though still on its shell, Wartortle tilted its head back and shot the Water Gun at the flying club. Its aim was flawless, and the attack struck the bone which redirected its course away from Dratini before being returned to Marowak's hands. Dratini flashed Wartortle a grateful look, but it was short-lived as Dratini was once more slammed into ground by Kadabra.

"We've got to save Dratini, guys! Attack Kadabra with Razor Leaf and Skull Bash!" Ash told Wartortle and Bulbasaur.

"Block them! As long as we have ahold of Dratini, we'll still win," Luana countered.

Dodrio and Marowak threw themselves in front of the attacks to keep them from reaching Kadrabra. Dodrio launched a Tri Attack which incinerated the Razor Leaf before it struck Bulbasaur and sent it flying backwards. Wartortle's head then slammed right into Marowak's Thick Club. It had to halt the attack before the two began grappling with each other. Marowak was stronger, however, and bashed Wartortle on the head with Bone Club and kicked it away.

"Now use your Confusion to catch hold of Wartortle and Bulbasaur!" Luana shouted.

Kadabra lifted its other index finger and pointed it at the water and grass-type. The two Pokemon soon found themselves lifted in the air and incapacitated just like Dratini. They also began struggling, but it was quite futile.

Ash grit his teeth as he remembered that upon evolving, a Kadabra could use Confusion on more than one Pokemon. He remembered that all too well from Sabrina's gym, and this Kadabra wasn't any easier. If none of his Pokemon could break free than he was in serious trouble. He remembered the last time, the only reason Pikachu was able to break free was because of his aura, but here, it would be almost cheating as his dad had put it.

Ash winced as he saw Dratini slammed into the ground once again, which earned it a cry of pain. He then heard Luana order Dodrio and Marowak to start attacking Bulbasaur and Wartortle. They could do nothing but hover there as Dodrio and Marowak attacked them.

Dratini turned and saw Wartortle and Bulbasaur being attacked relentlessly which really distressed the dragon Pokemon. They were paying the price once again for it. It had been caught in Kadabra's Confusion ever since near the beginning of the match. Its two teammates were doing quite well for themselves against Dodrio and Marowak, but now that they were caught in Kadabra's Confusion, there was nothing they could do unless Kadabra released them, but that wasn't likely.

"Try to use Extreme Speed to break out of Kadabra's Confusion, Dratini!" Ash yelled.

Dratini concentrated for a moment before it attempted to zip away, but it was unsuccessful. Unlike with Bellsprout's grip, this was a psychic hold and couldn't be broken like that.

"Well, Ash, unless you can think of something pretty quickly, it looks like this match will go to me again," Luana stated with her arms folded.

Despite feeling frantic, Ash bent his head down as he began to think of something, anything that could get himself out of this situation. Pikachu was able to break out of Kadabra's Confusion because it was powered with aura, but that won't do here. Did any of his Pokemon have some type of power that could match Kadabra? Wartortle and Bulbasaur didn't, but what about Dratini? Being a dragon Pokemon, it had to have some sort of special power. He remembered reading from Serena's pokedex once that Dragonair could freely control the weather, so a Dratini should be able to do something, too, right? He cast a worried look at the endangered Bulbasaur and Wartortle before he looked squarely at Dratini.

"Come on, Dratini! You can do it! I know you break free of Kadabra's Confusion somehow! Look inside yourself and find that power!" he shouted.

Despite sounding a little silly, Dratini closed its eyes as it began to concentrate. It really wanted to save its teammates and stop being so pathetic. If it was ever going to get over its timid nature, it was going to have to come out of its shell and step up its game some time. It was able to win a league match for its beloved trainer a while back, but now that it's trying to work together with his other Pokemon, it wasn't doing so well. Wartortle and Bulbasaur were looking out for it so it would do the same! Dratini opened its eyes, and they began glowing blue.

Upon seeing this, Kadabra slammed Dratini in the ground again, but the dragon Pokemon had already found its power. Kadabra began straining and grunting as it tried to maintain its hold on Dratini. The dragon Pokemon just glared defiantly back until the blue glow around it from Confusion completely dissolved, leaving a very stunned Kadabra and Luana!

"Oh my!" Luana gasped.

"How did Ash do that?!" Tracey gasped, not seeing Ash attempt something like that before like the others had.

"We don't really know," Leaf chuckled.

"It's like Ash knows things about his Pokemon that even they don't realize," Serena said.

Dratini's eyes continued to glow blue as it began to float in the air and it became fully erect. Everyone watched in awe as it almost seemed rather majestic right now. Nobody even understood what was happening until Dratini began glowing a shining white.

"Woah. Is it actually…," Misty began.

"It is…," Serena confirmed.

"Chuuu…," Pikachu muttered as it watched.

Dratini's body began to grow longer as a small horn sprouted on its forehead. Three orbs appeared on its body, one on its neck and two on its tail. Its body stopped glowing, and in its place was Dragonair! It then turned to give Ash a surprised look as even it didn't look like it knew it was going to evolve. Both Wartortle and Bulbasaur had surprised looks, too.

"Dratini evolved…," Ash muttered in awe before he shook his head. There was still a match going on right now! "Dragonair, use Dragon Breath on Kadabra!"

Dragonair unleashed a hot breath from its mouth, but Kadabra used its Confusion attack to easily draw the attack away from it. What Kadabra wasn't counting on was for Dragonair to use its now longer body to reach out and grab it before it slammed it into the ground with its tail. Dragonair couldn't help but feel a sense at satisfaction for giving Kadabra a taste of its own medicine.

The sudden jamming attack Kadabra received caused it to lose focus from its Confusion. As a result, Bulbasaur and Wartortle were released from the psychic hold and dropped to the ground. The two Pokemon were quite beaten up and looked rather weak, but they could still fight. The two smiled at the newly evolved Dragonair which it returned.

"The battle's not over yet! Marowak, throw your bone in the air, and Dodrio, use Tri Attack on Marowak's bone!" Luana tried.

Marowak threw its Thick Club high into the air as Dodrio hit it with the attack. Having the Tri Attack hit the Thick Club made it sparkle in several colors. The club then fell back into Marowak's hands as it now looked ready to attack with its new and improved club.

"Now use Bonemerang, and Kadabra, Confusion on that bone," Luana ordered next.

Marowak tossed its sparkling bone at Kadabra who now began manipulating the bone to try to Attack Ash's Pokemon.

"Wartortle, use Water Gun on that club!" Ash shouted.

Wartortle launched the stream of water to push the bone off of its course like before, but now that it was influenced by Kadabra's Confusion, that didn't do anything as it continued to speed towards them. Ash then tried Bulbasaur's Vine Whip and even Dragonair's Dragon Rage, but nothing worked.

Ash thought hard but quickly about what he could do. Even if he had Dragonair use Extreme Speed on Kadabra to break its focus, the bone would still be on a collision course with his other two Pokemon, and they could get seriously damaged since it was being powered by Tri Attack to boot. He then remembered that this battle was all about teamwork. If his Pokemon teamed up, it just might be enough to get that bone away.

"Wartortle, use Withdraw to get in your shell, and Bulbasaur, jump onto Wartortle's shell and hold on tight!" Ash yelled.

"What is he up to?" Luana wondered to herself.

As soon as the two Pokemon did as they were told, Ash made his next move. "Okay. Wartortle, use Hydro Pump, and Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!"

Wartortle began spinning extremely fast as it powered up its Hydro Pump. Soon enough, a massive burst of water appeared out of each opening from its shell. Bulbasaur sent out its two vines, and now there was a double attack of Hydro Pump and Vine Whip against the powered up club. The two attacks began shooting through the air and struck the club continuously. Kadabra tried to maintain its focus on the bone, but it was hard considering how much force was on it.

"Dodrio, use Tri Attack on Bulbasaur and Wartortle!" Luana yelled.

"Block the attack with Dragon Rage, Dragonair!" Ash yelled.

Dragonair unleashed bluish flames from its mouth which stopped the Tri Attack cold. None of the other Pokemon could get that close to Bulbasaur and Wartortle because of their combo attack right now. With one final push, the deadly club was redirected and sent spinning off into another part of the battle room.

Seeing that none of the opposing Pokemon could get near his own gave Ash another idea. "Dragonair, grab Wartortle's shell and swing it around! Bulbasaur, change your Vine Whip to a Razor Leaf!"

Dragonair did as it was told and grabbed Wartortle's shell with its tail before it lifted Wartortle and Bulbasaur high into the air above its head. The two Pokemon continued to do their combo attack. Now because of Dragonair, the two Pokemon's attacks were hitting Marowak and Dodrio. Both Pokemon began yelling in pain from the double attack before Ash made his next move.

"Add to the attacks with your Dragon Rage, Dragonair!" Ash hollered.

Dragonair launched forth the blue flames once more, and its attack mixed in with its two teammates' attacks. Marowak and Dodrio were soon bombarded by the triple attack before it soon became too much for them to handle. Both Pokemon fell to the ground, knocked out.

Upon seeing this, Ash shifted his attention to the Kadabra. He soon realized that it had never been hit by the attacks because it was using its Confusion to keep the attacks at bay. That didn't stop Ash, however. He was on a roll and knew exactly what to do.

"Dragonair! Throw Wartortle and Bulbasaur straight at Kadabra!" he smiled.

Dragonair began swinging Wartortle and Bulbasaur even harder now before it let go, and Bulbasaur and Wartortle were sent flying through the air. Kadabra's eyes widened as it saw the spinning projectile that was Wartortle's shell and Bulbasaur coming straight for it. Kadabra lost its focus from the surprise which caused the attacks to start hitting it as well. Kadabra groaned in pain and looked up just before the two other Pokemon collided with it.

Wartortle's spinning shell smashed right into Kadabra's face, which sent it shooting backwards, and it crashed into the wall below the stands, which created a cloud of dust in the air. Wartortle and Bulbasaur landed on the ground and finally stopped spinning to observe damage. Both were rather dizzy from spinning so much and extremely tired and weak, but still standing to show they could fight, and that's what mattered.

The debris soon cleared, and Luana let out as gasp as she saw her Kadabra was face down on the ground, unmoving. Everyone then looked at Dodrio and Marowak and saw they were down, as well. Chilton waited about ten seconds to see if either Pokemon would get up. When none of them did, he made his decision.

"Marowak, Dodrio, and Kadabra are unable to battle! All of the challenger's Pokemon are still standing! That means this match goes to Ash of Pallet Town!" he declared.

"Alright! That was perfect guys!" Ash shouted in excitement as he and Pikachu ran towards his Pokemon.

Wartotle and Bulbasaur both panted heavily but still stood ready for their trainer to reach them. Ash went over to them and embraced them both tightly for their effort.

"Thanks a bunch, guys! That was some incredible coordination you two had!" Ash congratulated before he felt a slight nudge behind him.

Ash turned around and grinned broadly when he saw his new Dragonair with an extremely happy look on its face. Ash gently let go of Bulbasaur and Wartortle and tightly embraced Dragonair's slender body.

"You did it, Dragonair! You were able to work together with Bulbasaur and Wartortle, and it really paid off! You even evolved in the process! I'm really proud of you!" he told it.

Dragonair smiled as it accepted its trainer's hug. It had been really scared the entire match and was worried it was just going to be a burden. After having Ash talk with it last night, though, and using some of its powers as a dragon, Dragonair was able to really help out its teammates in some really tough spots. They looked after it, and it looked after them just like how a triple battle should be. Dragonair looked down at Bulbasaur and Wartortle who both smiled and nodded their heads at it to show their appreciation. Dragonair nodded its head back at them. These Pokemon were now its friends, and it now had other Pokemon to talk to from now on. Maybe if it kept this up, it would be able to befriend all of Ash's other Pokemon, too.

"Those guys sure pulled off some great teamwork. It looked a bit sticky at first, but just like always, Ash was able to come up with his wacky ideas," Misty observed.

"Of course! He's Ash Ketchum, and that's what he does!" Leaf agreed.

"Ash just really loves his Pokemon like that and knows them better than anybody. That was a great ending!" Serena said.

"Well, now I've seen it for myself. Getting these badges was no easy feat. Ash really is quite a trainer. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I got a few quick sketches of him with his Pokemon," Tracey mused as he began drawing Ash and the four Pokemon with him right now.

Luana returned her three Pokemon and walked over to Ash. "You did a fine job, Ash. Your Pokemon worked perfectly together, and that triple attack you did was really something," she told him once she reached him.

"Yes…uh…ma'am," Ash responded, still not knowing how to address her.

"Luana is fine, Ash," Luana smiled before she continued. "As Kumquat Island Gym Leader and member of the Orange Crew, I happily present you with the badge as a token of your victory. You've earned it."

Luana then reached into her pocket and handed Ash a badge in the shape of a conch shell with a light green jewel in the middle. Ash stared at the badge in his hand and couldn't help but be extremely pleased right now. After an arduous four battles, Ash finally obtained all the badges of the Orange League. They had definitely been some of his toughtest battles to date, and now he could finally qualify for the Orange League.

"Well, Ash, since this was your fourth badge, I'll go ahead and tell you that the Orange League is on Pummelo Island. I'm sure you'll do great there!" Luana mentioned.

"Thanks, Luana," Ash replied before he looked back down at his badge.

Ash could hardly contain his excitement right now. He thought he grew out of it by now, but after winning all four badges, he couldn't help himself. Ash struck a pose and held out his new badge in front of him.

"Alright! I got the Jade Star Badge! Now I can qualify for the Orange League!" he cheered with Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Wartortle and Dragonair joining in.

It looked silly, but everyone couldn't resist joining in cheering for Ash.

* * *

It was the next day, and the group was now atop Lapras with Luana standing on the dock in front of them. They had really enjoyed their stay on Kumquat Island, but now it was time for them to go. They had briefly thought of staying here for a few more days since they weren't in any hurry, but they still had more of the Orange Islands to see before the Orange League, and of course, still give Profesor Oak his GS ball.

Ash had all four of his badges in a case now as he proudly looked at them. Luana had generously bought him a badge case since it was still too warm for Ash to wear his sleeveless jacket and wear them on the inside.

"That's a great collection, Ash," Leaf smiled.

"It sure is!" Ash agreed.

"Now you can have a shot at winning the Orange League Trophy!" Luana said.

"So what do I do to get it?" Ash wondered.

"First, all the trainers who are competing battle each other in an elimination tournament. Then, the winner of the elimination competition gets to battle our leader. If they win, they win the Orange League Trophy, as well, and their names go down in the Orange League Hall of Fame forever," Luana explained.

"To be the leader of the Orange Crew, he must be really good," Ash said.

"Oh, he is. One of the best, actually. That's why all of us in the Orange Crew are so strict with our rules. There is no way an ordinary trainer could beat him," Luana replied.

"So all of these rules and tests were to prepare Ash for the bigger challenge ahead," Serena guessed.

"You got it, but even then the trainers don't always win. The last person to win was a trainer from five years ago," Luana mused.

"There he is again," Leaf muttered.

"Luana, you wouldn't happen to know his name, would you?" Ash asked curiously, eager to know who it could've been.

"I don't, actually. He never told me. I will say this, however, his spirit of battling sort of reminded me of you, Ash. He had strategies I don't think anyone else could come up with," Luana answered.

"Someone who battles like me won five years ago," Ash mused.

"Yes, he did, and even then, it was a really close match," Luana nodded.

"Wow. That sounds pretty tough," Misty commented.

"No problem! I can do it!" Ash declared.

"Great attitude, Ash! With that, I know you'll do great there! Of course, it won't hurt to work together with your Pokemon, either!" Luana added with a wink.

"No sweat! We're all a team! Right, buddy?" Ash asked Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" it replied in the positive.

"By the way, Ash, if you ever happen to meet Travis, please give him my love and say his mother misses him," Luana added.

"If I ever do, I sure will," Ash replied as he and the others began to wave. "It was great to meet you."

"It was great to meet all of you, too!" Luana waved as Lapras turned around and began to head to sea. "Battle as hard as you can for that Orange League trophy!"

"I will!" Ash shouted back.

It wasn't long before Kumquat Island became far in the distance. Now that they were back at sea, Ash let out a sigh and looked back down at his badge case.

"Well, guys, the Orange League doesn't start for over a month. I say we check out what else the Orange Islands has to offer in the meantime," Tracey suggested.

"Sounds good to me! I could use a break, but we'll all still be making sure to train extra hard," Ash replied, referring to him and his Pokemon.

"Yeah. It'll also be in time for your twelfth birthday, Ash!" Leaf smiled.

At the mention of that, Serena froze.

"Heh. Yeah. I guess when I'm traveling, I tend to lose track of the dates. It's in two weeks," Ash murmured.

"We'll pick a great island to have it on, Ash. Don't worry," Misty said with a wink.

Serena sweatdropped.

"Hey, Serena. What's up? Why are you all red?" Ash wondered. The rest of the group turned to look at her in confusion, also, even Togepi.

"Hahaha! It's nothing!" Serena replied lamely as she faced away from the group, especially Ash.

That's right! She and the other girls had just been talking about Ash's birthday a couple of days ago. It was approaching fast and she believed Kumquat Island would be a great place to get his gift, but all of the excitement made her forget! She was rather embarrassed.

Serena still had no idea what to get Ash for his birthday!

* * *

 **Well, Dratini finally evolves, and Ash gets his final Orange League badge, and his twelfth birthday is soon. Aging! I remember being asked a while back if Dratini would evolve during the Power of One arc, to which I responded no. I didn't lie. It evolved during his fourth gym battle.**

 **Speaking of the Power of One arc, I was...conflicted for a while at what to call the next chapter. The truth is the Orange Islands arc ended up being MUCH longer than I anticipated. It ended up being four parts instead of three. With that being said, I realized nothing "Power of One"-y really happens in the next chapter, except the beginning and the reciting of the legend. So...calling the next chapter "The Power of One: Part One" seemed unfitting...especially when something bigger happens next chapter IMO. So the next chapter is mainly a prologue to the Power of One arc to keep the chapter count at three parts, and to get you all anticipated for it. I'm almost done with the arc, and I think its turned out great so far.**

 **Also in big news, a new poll will be up next chapter, so be on the look out for it. I'll see you all on December 20 for the much anticipated beginning movie segment! Thanks for all the reviews and support!**

 **Chapter 16: Broken Promise**

 **Answering the Questions:**

 _When do you post chapters_

 ** _Usually between 5-7 P.M CDT (USA)...Please keep this in mind everyone that I'm usually at work during the day.  
_**

 _Will characters such as Gligarman, Gligirl, Accelguard, or Blaziken Mask be shown in your series?_

 ** _No...at least not the first three.  
_**

What inspired you to include Serena as Ash's love interest in this fic instead of Dawn or Misty, per say?

 ** _At the time I began this story, Serena was still new, and there weren't a lot of stories that featured her as Ash's love interest at the time. Another thing was this ship had grown in popularity incredibly fast, and I was (and still am) a huge fan of it myself. I still support Ash's other ships with Dawn or May, but I like amourshipping more._**

 _Is Ash going to evolve His Johto starter trio into Meganium, Typholision, and Feraligatr?_

 ** _Maybe._**

 _Is ash going to get more baby pokemon?_

 ** _Not at the moment, but I won't rule it out._**

 _Could Serena or Ash get Torchic in Hoenn?  
_

 _ **So far, still just May. Ash will get Treecko, and Serena will get a Mudkip instead of Brock. Fear not, Brock-lovers, I'm not short changing him. He will still get plenty of Pokemon...including his Lotad.**_

 _In the anime, starting from Hoenn Ash would leave behind the Pokemon with the exception of Pikachu whenever he went to a new Region. Will he do the same in your story?_

 ** _While traveling the regions, yes, but he will use all of his Pokemon during the leagues._**

 _Is the Ash lookalike the mystery guy?_

 ** _If you mean Travis, then no._**

 _What kinds of abilities are we going to expect out of Ash and Serena when we see their control over their respective powers?_

 ** _Sorry. Stuff like this is too big of a spoiler._**

 _Is Ash's Snorlax male? And what sexs are Tracey's Marill, Venonat, and Scyther?_

 ** _All male._**

 _In the Power of One, Ash and Co. had the chance to give the GS ball to Professor Oak, what you going to do to work around it?_

 ** _I wondered that myself actually when I watched the movie. Here, Ash will give Professor Oak the GS ball during the Power of One arc, and Professor Oak will study it in his lab while Ash is at Pummelo Stadium._**

 _If Blue is Gary's father, then is Daisy his aunt?_

 ** _Daisy is Gary's sister in this fic, remember?_**

 _If Green is Leaf's mother, then what is her last [Leaf's] name?_

 ** _Green's name is Rose in this fic, remember? Their last name is Green._**

 _Lastly will you do the Orre region (Colleseum/XD Gale of Darkness) what so ever?_

 ** _Probably not. I never played XD and very little of Colosseum so I know very little about the region._**

 _Also, will Snorlax be in the battle with Drake or will it be asleep like in the anime?_

 ** _Snorlax won't be in the battle with Drake. Ash wouldn't have had a chance to properly train it yet._**

 _Will you do a chapter in which Ash and togepi's bond gest stronger since its always with Serena?_

 ** _It's with Ash quite often, too. It was with him while he was getting a massage in this chapter. It may just seem like Togepi is with Serena more often because Serena has to look after it while Ash is training or doing gym battles. When Serena starts performing, their time with Togepi will even out more._**


	16. Broken Promise

**A/N: (Sigh). Well here it is. Something in the story that was bound happen eventually. You'll know what is when you read it. Just know that the next few chapters are going to be rather...depressing. There will also be heavy foreshadowing for future arcs in the last chapter of the the Power of One arc. I think I did the Power of One arc justice, and you will all enjoy it. For now, enjoy the prologue!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or its characters. Nintendo does.**

* * *

Chapter 16: Broken Promise

 _Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice, or lightning. Lest these titans reek destruction upon the world in which they clash. Though the water's great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail. Thus the Earth will turn to ash. Oh Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three. Their treasures combined tame the beast of the sea._

 _This is the prophecy foretold among Shamouti Island…_

* * *

A young man with golden hair and of average height had just finished reading the prophecy out loud. This prophecy had always intrigued the man. Being a fan of old myths and legends, this one had always stuck out to him the most. Why? It represented something he had never seen or obtained before. All of this was very important to him. His name was Lawrence III. He was a collector. He collected many things ranging from rare artifacts to scriptures from prophecies just like the one he had just read…but not himself.

The young man had a guest today. It was really quite a rare thing for him to have any. It wasn't because people were just simply not interested in his collection. A lot of people would pay for a chance to look at some of the things he owned, but he didn't allow people entrance. It wasn't just merely a museum that was refused access to the public. It was also his home…on a massive airship.

"What do you think? Quite the interesting prophecy, is it now? It's always been a favorite of mine," Lawrence III asked his guest.

"It is. I have to admit, when I was told you were a collector, it was no joke," the guest answered as he looked around in awe at everything.

"Hmmhmm. Quite flattering…Riley…you said your name was? Yes. You are right. Being a collector, nothing is too great or too small for me to obtain," Lawrence III replied somewhat arrogantly.

Riley nodded his head at this. He had been trying to gain access to this man's airship for several months now. He had followed it all over the Orange Islands. Wherever it traveled, so did he. Of course, he could always use his aura to get on the ship himself, but there was no way he could sneak around without getting caught. This place was full of security cameras. The best option would be for Lawrence III to personally allow him on. Only through that would he acquire the most information. Many people considered it rather strange that he was that bent on meeting 'the collector' as most people referred to him. Riley wasn't trying to meet the collector for mere tourist purposes at all, however. He was on a mission.

Despite this, it wasn't like it was easy to meet the man. Only when Lawrence III believed Riley was truly interested in his collection did he allow him entrance into the airship. It took several tries with carrier Pidgey for mail since one could never call or talk to Lawrence the III otherwise. Now was the day Riley was on the ship, and it was finally time to investigate.

He didn't really see anything out of the ordinary, though.

"So why is it that's your favorite prophecy?" Riley inquired.

"Why, of course. It refers to the three legendary birds: Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. It speaks of discord, but the true prize comes forth, the water's guardian. I trust it needs no introduction," Lawrence III replied with a small glint in his eye.

"No. It doesn't," Riley sighed, knowing which Pokemon he meant.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if that prophecy were to come true soon?" Lawrence III asked.

"Hmm?" Riley mused with a raised eyebrow.

"Being the Chosen One, of course. To have access to the three legendary birds and the guardian of the sea whenever you please. Being able to tame the beasts at your will. Tell me that doesn't strike your fancy," Lawrence III smiled.

"I don't know. I don't believe that is exactly what the prophecy is referring to from what you told me," Riley frowned.

That was a rather odd statement. This man clearly took these prophecies rather seriously if he believed them that much. He seemed to be taking it a step further though and wanted them to be about him. That was some dedication. This guy clearly had some sort of superiority complex. Riley wanted to ask more about Lawrence III's view on this prophecy, but the golden-haired man changed the subject. Whether it was on purpose or not, Riley couldn't tell.

"Come now, Riley. Being my personal guest today, let me show you more of what I have. I'm sure you'd like that," Lawrence III offered as he turned around and gestured for Riley to follow him.

Riley took another look around the room. It really just looked like a normal collection room. Granted, it was extremely large, and it must have taken the collector many years to acquire this much stuff. Nothing was really wrong, though. Riley was going to have to dig a little deeper if he was going to find anything worth looking into while he was here. What better way than to hear it than from Lawrence III himself.

"So, how long have you been collecting?" Riley casually asked the young man.

"I'd say just over twenty years, and it all started with my Mew card," Lawrence III answered as he brandished a holographic card written in ancient language with an image of Mew in the middle.

"I see. That looks like a really rare card. How did you get a hold of it?" Riley wondered as he inspected the card in the other man's hand.

"My late mother gave it to me. She was a bit of a collector herself, but she never came close to the magnitude of what I have. I'll admit, some of the things I own were inherited from her, but I still collected more things on my own in the last twenty years than she did in her whole life," Lawrence III answered.

"So you're always on the move to collect whatever you can," Riley figured.

"Oh yes. A collector can never have too much stuff. You have no idea about some of the means I went through to collect some of these things," Lawrence III responded.

"What do you mean?" Riley asked in interest, but not enough to make him look suspicious.

"As you can imagine, these things aren't easy to collect. They can be in really hard to reach places, and that's when I require assistance," the young man replied.

"Assistance? Like what?" Riley wondered.

"Special devices, of course. They can capture anything without fail…or anyone," Lawrence III answered as a slight dark tone came upon his voice.

"Wait a second…anyone? What are you talking about?" Riley uttered.

"You're a very smart person, Riley. You would make a nice addition to my collection. Perhaps you would like to stay here permanently?" Lawrence III suggested as he gave the black-haired man a creepy smile.

Riley raised his eyebrow and took a step back. He had to admit, that statement had certainly caught him off guard. Riley took on a more defensive stance, ready to defend himself if necessary. For a few seconds, nobody moved. Lawrence III still watched Riley with a creepy smile on his face while Riley watched on warily. Finally, Lawrence III lost his look and gave a light laugh.

"Hahahahaha. I jest, Riley. No need to be alarmed. I have no interest in collecting people," Lawrence III laughed.

"Errr…yeah. Hahahaha," Riley joined in sarcastically. He didn't know quite of what to make of the man after that episode.

"Please. To show it was all in good fun, let me host you a nice dinner in my banquet hall. Being my personal guest today, it is the least I can do," Lawrence III offered.

Riley was about to accept, but he suddenly felt a presence enter his mind. It was the type of presence that only happened when someone was trying to communicate with him. It could be none other than his partner, Lucario. Unbeknownst to Lawrence III, the aura Pokemon had entered the airship, too, to look for clues. It must have just finished and wanted to report to Riley. The black-haired man put on a neutral look and rubbed his chin as if he was thinking over Lawrence III's suggestion.

 _"What's the word, Lucario?"_ Riley asked in his mind.

 _"Unfortunately, there is nothing too big to report. I have scoured every bit of this man's airship. All I found are several artifacts and prophecies,"_ Lucario answered.

 _"That's all I've seen, too,"_ Riley mentally sighed.

 _"However, there were a few devices I saw that were rather interesting. They appear to be some sort of capture device shaped like a ring. I'm unable to figure out how they work, but I do wonder why he would need something like this to merely get relics,"_ Lucario reported.

 _"He did mention that he requires special assistance to get some of the items he gets. Still, if you could somehow get one of those rings, it would really help,"_ Riley replied.

 _"Anything else?"_ Lucario asked.

 _"No. I'll go ahead and wrap this meeting up unless I overstay my welcome. I'll meet you outside,"_ Riley spoke before he cut off the connection. He then once more looked at Lawrence III who seemed to be patiently awaiting his reply.

"Actually, I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll need to be going. You seem to be a busy man with your collecting, and I think I've seen enough artifacts to last me a lifetime," Riley said.

"Ah, I see. Well, in that case, let me show you to the exit," the golden-haired man replied as they went in a different direction.

The two soon reached the door to the ship. Lawrence III went over to the side of the door and pushed a button which caused the extremely large door to slide up. A walkway soon slid out from the door to the ground a small distance below them. They were on a private island right now as the collector only agreed to meet with Riley on a place where no one would bother them. It made sense given the man's nature.

"I do hope you enjoyed my collection, Riley. I hope it was most informative for you," Lawrence III said with a small smile.

"It was. You really do have the largest collection of things in the world," Riley responded as he took his big blue hat off of a nearby coat rack and placed it on his head.

"Hmmhmm. Yes, I do," Lawerence III chuckled before he held out his hand for Riley to shake. "Good day, sir. It was a pleasure to have your company and have one more person admire my collection."

"Thank you for having me," Riley politely said and took the handshake. "This will add a lot of help for my research on ancient relics. Being a researcher, I can never have too much information."

"I'm glad I could help," Lawrence III said.

With one final nod, Riley stepped out onto the walkway and made his way down to the island's surface. He sensed Lawrence III had his eyes on him the entire time as he was walking down. What a weird guy. One may say Riley was a pot calling the kettle black as people considered him strange, too, but Lawrence III really took the cake. Once Riley made it down the ground, he heard Lawrence III call out to him.

"Make sure to tell the police that I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary. I am merely involved with my hobby," he said.

Riley's eyes shot open at that statement as he turned and gave the young man a baffled look. So he had known the whole time that Riley wasn't just some researcher and was working with the police to report back to them. Riley had no idea how Lawrence III knew that, but he clearly wasn't stupid.

Lawrence III didn't elaborate. Instead, he pressed another button by the door, and the walkway slid back into its place. With a final wave, the door slid shut, and he was out of sight. The ship's motors then started as it lifted off from the island and began to fly to destinations unknown and left a frowning Riley behind it.

The blue and black canid-like Pokemon known as Lucario soon appeared beside its partner. It sneaked aboard the ship at the same time as Riley to search for clues. It made sure it wasn't caught by security cameras the entire time, but besides the rings, it couldn't really find anything.

 _"Did you learn anything?"_ Lucario asked in Riley's mind

"Not much. I don't know if it's because he knew I was with the police or not, but he seems like a rather decent guy from what I saw. He was definitely arrogant and odd, but he certainly wasn't evil," Riley sighed.

 _"What did his aura level look like?"_ Lucario wondered.

"That's the weirdest part. It wasn't red like you would see with every evil person. It was blue like normal. Despite being blue, there was just something off about it that I can't place my finger on," Riley replied.

 _"What's your conclusion of him?"_ Lucario asked.

"I don't know. I'd like to take a look at those capture rings first before I make an analysis of him. Despite that, I'm not going to leave this guy alone just yet. I'm going to stay in contact with that ship and keep an eye on him for a while. Despite his aura seeming normal, there's just something about him I don't trust," Riley responded.

 _"Then I suppose all we can do is wait and see,"_ Lucario sighed in Riley's mind.

Riley took one last look at the leaving ship. He truthfully hadn't gotten as much information from the guy as he had hoped. The only thing of interest Lawrence III had mentioned was that prophecy of the Chosen One. Lawrence III didn't delve too deep into it, and Riley didn't want to seem suspicious by inquiring too much about it. At least he knew of the prophecy now and could start some research on it. He didn't know why, but he felt that prophecy may play a huge part in events yet to come, and Lawrence III may have some influence on it. Riley could make his decision then.

* * *

Lawrence III was sitting on his personal chair in front of a large projector. That man, Riley, was certainly an interesting visit. Being a smart man, Lawrence III hadn't bought the man's lie for one second. He knew he was working with the police. Why else would he have been following him around all this time? Any real researcher would've given up by now. Now that they've met, Lawrence III hoped it would get the man off his back.

He wasn't doing anything wrong, after all. He was a collector, and he wanted to be the best collector in the world. As long as he was merely doing his hobby, he was doing nothing wrong. That's what he believed anyway. Therefore, he didn't believe himself as lying when he told Riley that he wasn't doing anything illegal.

Now that he was taken care of, Lawrence III could set his plan into motion. He had been obsessed with the prophecy of the Chosen One for a long time now. It was finally in his grasp to make the prophecy a reality. With himself being the Chosen One, he could capture the three legendary birds of the area and draw out the true prize, the water guardian. They would make fabulous additions to his collection.

An alert sounded by Lawrence III as a red image in a vague bird shape appeared next to him.

"Historical records confirm the three legendary birds: Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres can be found within the vicinity of Shamouti Island," a computed voice spoke.

"Hmm…we happen to be near there. I say I shall take a look around," Lawrence III said to himself as he steered his ship in that direction.

"Pokemon matching subject parameters: Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres detected," the robotic voice said.

A sly smile crossed Lawrence III's face. "Ah. So it begins. Which one is the nearest to me right now?" he asked.

"The fire Pokemon, Moltres."

"Yes," the man muttered. "Bring together all three. Their treasures combined tame the beast of the sea…Lugia."

* * *

It was the epitome of perfect weather for the group today as they rode a ferry to their next destination. The humidity wasn't as high as it normally was. The temperature was perfect, and there was a refreshing ocean breeze to accompany it. Even the sea reflected the weather as it was calm and clear as crystal.

Wanting to give Lapras a break from carrying them around, the group decided to use ferries to tour the Orange Islands ever since Ash received his final badge. It wasn't like they were in a hurry to get to places anymore so they could just take it easy. The group had seen all sorts of cool islands ever since Ash won his badge. They had seen a magnificent island where all of the Pokemon were a bright pink color. That was of course only due to the strange berries they ate which grew on the island. They had met a Pokemon Watcher like Tracey who was researching Magikarp evolution, and one of the strangest of all, they had found an island that was made up almost entirely out of fossilized Kabuto!

Yes. The last few weeks had definitely been interesting for the group. Despite this, Ash had still been finding time to train his Pokemon almost every day. Now that he had all four Orange League badges, the real challenge was going to begin at Pummelo Stadium in about a month. There was no time for meandering around…except for today. Why? Today was Ash's twelfth birthday!

"Happy birthday, Ash!" Leaf shouted as she collided into Ash from behind and wrapped him in a big hug.

"Hahaha! I get it, Leaf! It's my birthday! That's the third time you've done that today!" Ash laughed as he tried to squirm out of the girl's surprisingly tight grip.

"I just like doing that to you," Leaf smiled as she released Ash on her own and instead placed her hands on her hips. "It's your special day, and we all want to make sure you have the best one so far!"

"Can't say I'm complaining yet," Ash grinned as he looked around.

It was indeed turning out to be a great birthday so far. He was in a great climate with perfect weather, and he had his friends and Pokemon with him. They had told him they were going to have the celebration on the next island they landed on which he said was fine. He couldn't wait to see what they all had in store for him.

"I've got to say, this weather is a lot better than on your last birthday," Misty recalled.

"Yeah. We had all gotten lost in that snowstorm, but you know, it still turned out to be one of the best birthdays ever because I knew everyone really cared, right Serena?" Ash asked as he looked towards the honey-blond girl.

Serena had her arms folded and was leaning over the railing of the ferry. She hadn't said much today except for wishing Ash a happy birthday and instead opted to stare off into the sea with Togepi beside her. It wasn't that she was in a bad mood. She was just so embarrassed because she _still_ hadn't found a good birthday gift for Ash! A lot of the islands they visited recently only had small shops to where she couldn't get anything with real meaning. She was told that the island they were visiting next was rather large so she might be lucky and get something. Serena certainly didn't want to be the only one in the group who didn't get Ash anything.

"Serena?" Ash questioned.

"Yeah," Serena answered nonchalantly.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked.

"Uhhhh…," Serena stuttered as she turned bright red. She couldn't tell Ash that she hadn't found him a gift yet. Of course he wouldn't care, but it was still embarrassing for her. He had gotten her an amazing gift for her eleventh birthday, and she wanted to do the same. Ash knew something was wrong, though, so she couldn't lie to him.

"Hey, Ash. Why don't you go talk to Tracey for a little bit? He seems a little lonely over there by himself," Leaf suggested as she pointed to the other side of the boat where Tracey was currently sketching.

"Fine. Fine. I get the hint," Ash said as he held his hands up in defeat. "Girl talk."

Ash then turned and gestured for Pikachu to come with him. The yellow rodent nodded its head until it scurried up Ash's body and perched on his shoulder like it usually does. Ash then walked away from the three girls until he was on the other side of the boat. It wasn't like he was upset that Serena didn't tell him what was wrong with her. He knew by now that if it was something she could talk about with him, she would. They trusted each other with their lives, after all.

Once he was away, Leaf and Misty joined Serena on the railing and looked sadly at Serena. They both knew the girl had been looking desperately for a great gift to get Ash, and it wasn't helping that the islands they visited weren't big cities like the previous ones. They didn't want to go too far out of their way to visit a previous island as Ash would think that was rather strange and pointless.

"Hey, sweetie. Any luck?" Leaf asked in concern.

"Not at all," Serena sighed. Why were finding gifts always so hard for her? Ash did it effortlessly. Why couldn't she?

"You know, Serena. I think you may be trying too hard to impress Ash," Misty told her.

"What do you mean?" Serena questioned as she raised an eyebrow at Misty.

"He's Ash. He'll love no matter what you give him because it came from you. Isn't that the main reason why you've always loved his gifts?" Misty elaborated.

Serena blushed as she thought of everything Ash has gotten her in the past. Sure, his gifts seemed to get better each year, but even when they were younger and Ash would give something to Serena as small as a drawing or a box of candy, Serena still loved it because it was from Ash.

"I bet the perfect gift you can get Ash this year is so obvious that you're not even thinking about it," Leaf said with knowing smile.

"So obvious that I haven't thought about it…," Serena echoed.

"That's right. What do couples like to do to show the world they are together?" Misty asked.

"Well, besides hold hands, go on dates…kiss, I'm not sure," Serena muttered as she blushed this time for being the clueless one.

"They match," Leaf answered for her. "Think of something you have that Ash doesn't have and get something like that for him.

"Hmm…," Serena mused as she thought about it.

Think of something she has that Ash doesn't. Of course there were the obvious things like a purse or make up kit or a hat. Serena wasn't silly enough to think that's what Misty and Leaf were talking about. As Serena dwelled on it, her eyes drifted to the pendant around her neck, and her eyes lit up. It was the heart shaped pendant that Ash had given her on her eleventh birthday. It even still had the tiny picture of Ash and herself still inside of it. Serena had worn it every single day just like that hat Ash had given her and never took it off. It was a great symbol of their relationship. The only problem was…Ash didn't have anything like this…yet.

"Find anything?" Leaf asked once she saw Serena's expression.

"I sure did," Serena answered quietly as she took the pendent around her neck and held it in her hands. She then opened it gently and gazed at the picture of Ash and herself lovingly.

"Ahhhh. The pendent," Misty realized.

"That's right," Serena replied as she closed the pendent and let it dangle down her neck again.

"I think your search is over," Leaf grinned.

"Mmmhmm," Serena agreed as she looked at her two friends. "Thanks for your help. I now know exactly what to get Ash."

"I'm sure he'll love it," Leaf said. "Getting him something like that just feels complete."

"Hey, Maren! Do you think we have time to let our Pokemon out to get some fresh air?" the girls heard Tracey yell behind them.

"I was about to say yes, but it looks like a storm is rolling in," Maren, the ship captain, replied back to Tracey.

The girls tilted their heads in confusion at that statement. They could've sworn that the sky was crystal clear just a second ago. They turned and raised their eyebrows in surprise at what the saw. Sure enough, there were extremely dark storm clouds off in the distance, and they were approaching quite fast.

"When did those clouds appear?" Ash asked rhetorically as he rejoined the three girls on the other side of the ship with Pikachu still on his shoulder.

"We don't know. We were just wondering the same thing," Leaf answered.

"Black storm clouds…," Serena mumbled, suddenly remembering a most unpleasant dream.

Ash seemed to have noticed her tension as he reached out and grabbed her hand for support.

"Don't worry, Serena. I doubt they have anything to do with what you're thinking about. I bet they're just normal…almost normal storm clouds," he reassured and gave her hand a squeeze.

Serena gave Ash a weary smile in return. He was probably right. Even though these storm clouds were especially dark and ominous…with thunder coming from them, they were probably just normal.

"You guys might want to hang on tight. It looks like it's about to get rough," Maren warned.

The passengers of the ferry moved towards the inside so they weren't so close to the edge. Luckily, there were railings that they could each grab onto for support. Serena placed Togepi in her backpack so she could hang on with both hands. Pikachu practically wrapped its whole body around the pole to keep from going anywhere.

A few seconds later, the waves started to get rather choppy and toss the ferry about a little bit. Maren took a deep breath to prepare herself before she began to steer the ship as best as she could for the impending storm.

Thunder was right over the group seconds later. It was rather loud, as well, which made them want to cover their ears. Serena could hear Togepi whimpering from inside of her backpack but couldn't take it out to comfort it without the chance of being thrown off the ship.

Pretty soon, the waves were especially rough which caused the group to wobble despite hanging onto the railings. They then planted their feet firmly in the ground to steady themselves. Poor Marin, on the hand, was gritting her teeth at just trying to stay balanced. The steering wheel was only providing so much support.

"Piiiiiiiii!" Pikachu cried as its body was tumbling around the rail from the force of the waves.

"Just hang tight, buddy," Ash stated through clenched teeth.

It had been a while since the group had been through waves this big. They may not be quite as bad with Mewtwo's storm a while back, but they were still quite powerful. They were definitely too dangerous for a normal ferry like the group was riding now. Despite the storm only going on for a few minutes, the group was already starting to get tired. Maren herself was starting to strain from keeping the ferry from tumbling over.

"We're starting to get off course!" Maren yelled from above them. "To keep safe, I'll take us to the nearest island. It's Shamouti Island. We'll stay there until the waves calm down!"

Despite the horrible waves, the group squinted and could see an island off in the distance. It didn't look especially large, but it was by no means small, either. If they recalled correctly, the group remembered the guidebook saying that Shamouti Island was right in the heart of the Orange Islands. It was said to hold some kind of secret. Whether that secret was good or bad, the group had no idea.

Far underneath the group, in the depths of the raging ocean, a large and mystical figure tore through the water at incredible speed…

* * *

Far away in the in Kanto region, in the small place that was Pallet Town, the weather was quite peaceful. Delia Ketchum was enjoying a nice cup of coffee, prepared by Mimey, with Grace Gabena, and Rose Green at her house. With their children away on their journeys now, it was imperative to be in each others' company on a regular basis.

"Ash called me not too long ago to tell me he received all of the badges of the Orange League. My little baby has done so well," Delia cooed to Rose and Grace.

"Leaf told me that, too. I was actually expecting her to split off from the rest of them and travel alone like she did here in Kanto, but she seems to like being with Ash and Serena more for the time being," Rose said with a smile as she took a sip of coffee.

"I think it's great that she is. I've been worried that she would fall out of contact with Ash and Serena after being away from them for so long," Delia commented.

"Nah. She's fine. I don't think anything can break apart those three. Take me, Red, and Blue for example. The three of us hardly see each other anymore, but we're still great friends. Whenever we do meet, it's like no time was ever lost," Rose replied.

"Ash and Leaf seem to be doing really well for themselves in the Orange Islands," Grace smiled.

"Serena did great in the Water Pokemon Tournament, too. She got second place!" Rose reminded.

"Yes, I'm really proud she did, but it still isn't what she wants," Grace sighed.

"Some children take longer than others to decide what they want, Grace," Delia said. "Once they finally do find what they want, those are the ones that are the best at what they do."

"That's right. If I recall, you told us you never even touched a Rhyhorn until you were almost an adult. Now look at you! You're a retired world-class Rhyhorn racer in Kalos!" Rose nodded.

"Your daughter will be just fine," Delia smiled, receiving a smile back from Grace.

That was when there was knock at the door to the Ketchum household.

"Oh? Mimey, could you get that?" Delia called over her shoulder.

"Miiiiime!" Red's Mr. Mime answered from inside the kitchen.

Mimey waddled towards the door in an apron and a broom and dustpan in hand before it answered the knock at the door. The person who had come for a visit was revealed to be Professor Oak. He gave a smile down at Mr. Mime.

"Ah, hello there, Mr. Mime," he greeted.

"Miiiiiime!" the Pokemon waved at the professor.

"Oh, good afternoon, Professor Oak!" Delia said as she came to the door upon hearing the Professor's voice.

"Hello there, Delia. I was just riding my bike because the weather was so beautiful lately. I thought I'd stop by and say hello," Professor Oak replied.

"Well, you're more than welcome to join us. Rose, Grace, and I are just talking. Please come in," Delia welcomed.

"That sounds wonderful, Delia. Thank you," the Pokemon professor responded before commenting. "By the way, I love what you've done with your garden. You have such a green thumb."

"Why thank you, Professor. This is the time of year where the sun shines a lot," Delia said with giggle.

Ironically, that was when a thunderclap sounded. Delia and Professor Oak cast a curious look at the sky as they saw dark clouds rolling in. That was weird. The weather was perfect just a second ago. How did it change so quickly? It was even stranger when a thunderclap sounded again before it began to pour rain. It was quite heavy, too!

"Oh! Hurry and get in, Professor!" Delia said as she hurriedly pulled Professor Oak in the household so he wouldn't get wet.

"Looks like I spoke too soon," Professor Oak muttered sheepishly as they went in the living room where Grace and Rose still were.

"Delia, is it really raining outside? The weather forecast had clear skies for the rest of the week," Grace asked curiously.

"It is. Those storm clouds came out of nowhere," Delia replied.

Then, just as suddenly as the rain came, it stopped. The four adults raised an eyebrow in question at what had just transpired.

"That was really strange. It passed by just as quickly as it came," Delia muttered.

They all then let out a gasp as they saw it now began to snow outside. Now THAT was really strange. There wasn't supposed to be any snow in the Pallet Town region around this time of year! The weather was too warm for that!

Then, just like the rain before it, the snow suddenly stopped, too. The black clouds even were gone. The four adults thought it was over until they saw a flock of Pidgey flying towards some strange glow in the sky. Not far behind them, a group of Diglett passed by on the road. They didn't pause for anything and even took the bike Professor Oak had ridden with them!

"What's going on, Professor?" Delia asked in slight worry.

"Mime! Mime! Mime!" Mr. Mime cried as it jumped up and down to try to see out the window.

"Mimey? Why are you so upset?" Delia asked worriedly.

"It doesn't seem to be just Mr. Mime," Professor Oak muttered as they saw another group of Pokemon hurry by. "The only thing that could cause Pokemon to act this way would be if they could sense something is wrong with nature. I'm afraid something somewhere is going terribly wrong."

"I'm going to do a little investigating," Rose said as she set down her cup of coffee and stood up from the couch. I agree with Professor Oak. Something has to be very wrong."

"What could it be?" Grace asked.

"I have no idea, but I'll get with Blue, and we'll find a way to contact Red, too. I'll let you all know if we find out something," Rose responded.

"Should Red really get involved with this? Is it that serious?" Delia asked in worry.

Rose sighed. "This isn't a natural cause, unfortunately. The only Pokemon that are even close to our area that could cause the weather to go crazy like this are…

"Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres," Professor Oak finished, earning a gasp from Delia and Grace.

"Exactly. If they're involved with this, I'm sure Red would like to know about it," Rose replied before she made her exit.

"Oh, I just hope that whatever is going on here isn't affecting our children in the Orange Islands," Delia said worriedly as she cast a glance at the sky once more.

"Me, too, Delia. Me, too," Professor Oak responded as he placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort.

* * *

The group had just landed on Shamouti Island and gave a huge sigh of relief. They were really glad Shamouti Island was close by as those waves were too rough for them to handle. They were still viscously churning in the ocean behind the group. They slowly disembarked from the ship and took a look around the island.

"Sorry about this rough landing everyone," Maren said sheepishly.

"It's no problem, Maren. We're just glad you were able to land the ship at all," Ash replied.

Serena then reached into her backpack and pulled out Togepi to give it fresh air again. The spikeball Pokemon appeared a little shaken up. Serena had no doubt that it could feel the waves despite the safety of the backpack. It had small tears in its eyes as it looked up at Serena and Ash in worry.

"There, there, Togepi. It's alright. Those bad waves are gone," Serena said soothingly as she gave it a hug.

"Pika Pikachu," Pikachu encouraged it from Ash's shoulder.

"Priii," Togepi spoke softly and nodded its head.

"Here. I'll take Togepi for a while," Ash offered as he took it from Serena's hands and smiled at it. Togepi laughed playfully once it was in its 'daddy's' arms.

"Your arms must be more comfortable than mine, Ash," Serena giggled once she saw Togepi's sad mood disappear.

"No. I think your arms are pretty comfortable, too," Ash smiled back.

"Heehee. Thank you, Ash," Serena replied with a giggle.

Ash blushed as well when he realized what he said. "Heheh. Yeah."

"Hugging a lot lately, are we?" Misty teased to which Ash and Serena nodded but were still red.

"So what? We can hug if we want to," Serena stated with a bit of indignation and gave a small hug to Ash for emphasis.

"Yep. Pretty comfortable," Ash laughed after Serena hugged him.

Serena grinned back at Ash. Yeah. She was so secure in her relationship with him. There wasn't a single person alive who could ever still him from her. Call her a little clingy, but Serena didn't want Ash to have eyes for anyone except her.

"We sure were lucky to have Shamouti Island right here. We'd be in trouble if we hadn't found this place," Leaf muttered.

Tracey then turned to the side and froze. "Uh…I think we just got into trouble anyway!"

The group turned to where he was looking and let out a gasp. Watching them from a dock about six feet above them were a group of people wearing very strange masks and clothing. Normally, the group would be relieved to see other people on an island, but the masks they were wearing made them not look very friendly.

They all jumped down from the dock and onto the beach where they ran up to the group to get a better look. Ash got in front of Serena, Leaf, and Misty and held his free arm out in front of them instinctively when they did that. Tracey scooted off to the side as far away from the natives as he could which Ash couldn't help but roll his eyes at. Ash glared at the people as defiantly as he could. He had his pokeballs ready and were not afraid to use them if these islanders proved hostile. Pikachu sparked its cheeks, ready to fight, as well, while Togepi stared curiously.

"Ash?" Serena questioned

"We better prepare for a fight, Serena. I won't let them harm you," Ash whispered to her which caused her to blush.

"Harm? We have no intention of doing that!" one of the islanders spoke in a surprisingly friendly tone.

Ash's hard look lessened considerable after that as he rose a questioning eyebrow at the scary costumed people in front of him. "Then what are you doing?"

The one who had spoken first didn't answer and instead looked up to the ship where Maren still was. "Hey, Maren! How are you? It's been a while!"

"Carol! It's you! I'm great!" Maren answered back with a smile.

"What are you doing here on Shamouti Island?" the person known as Carol asked as she removed her mask to show she nothing more than an ordinary teen girl.

"Well, we got caught up in that storm that just appeared. As you can see, the waves are pretty rough so we had to make an emergency landing," Maren replied.

"Well, you picked a great time! The annual Legend Festival starts today!" Carol said cheerfully.

"Oh! That's right! It's my favorite island holiday!" Maren smiled.

"Umm…will someone please tell us what's going on?" Ash mumbled.

"Oh! I'm sorry! We didn't mean to startle you! These costumes are part of the festival for today!" Carol answered with an apologetic bow.

"Startled isn't really the word for it," Ash replied as he took his arm away from Serena, Leaf, and Misty now that he knew they weren't in danger.

"Like I said, we're really sorry. We just weren't expecting visitors," Carol said.

"Oh! It's okay! Now that I take a look at them, they're actually pretty neat!" Leaf stated.

"Thanks! If you want to join us in the festival, we could lend you all one," Carol offered.

"Ash?" a familiar voice suddenly sounded from one of the islanders.

The islander who said his name stepped forward and stood in front of Ash. The black-haired boy peered curiously at the mask for a second before his eyes suddenly lit up from recognizing the voice. "Wait. Uncle Riley?!"

"Yeah. It's me," Riley responded as he took off the mask to confirm his identity.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were on a…" Ash began, but Riley quickly interrupted him.

"Vacation, remember?" Riley stated with knowing look at Ash.

Understanding the message, Ash nodded his head. "Right. Vacation. Who would've thought we would run into you here?"

"I know. Happy birthday, by the way! I'm always glad to be there for my favorite nephew!" Riley laughed.

"Heh. I'm your only nephew," Ash smirked.

"Hi. Mr. Riley," Serena greeted as she gave the man a hug.

"Hey, there, Serena! Has Ash been treating you right?" Riley replied back as he returned it.

"He sure has!" Serena grinned at Ash to which he returned.

Riley then looked toward Leaf. "Hey, Leaf. I see you're traveling with Ash and Serena right now."

Leaf nodded. "Yes sir. I'm trying to make sure they don't do anything to crazy."

"Heh. Like you're one to talk," Ash smirked at her which caused Leaf to make a funny face at him.

"You were…Misty, correct?" Riley guessed as he shook Misty's hand.

"I am. It's great to see you again!" Misty nodded.

"I-I'm Tracey! I haven't been traveling with Ash very long, but I want you to know he's a great kid!" Tracey spoke up, a little nervous at meeting new people as usual.

"He sure is! Nice to meet you, Tracey!" Riley nodded.

"So how's your vacation been so far?" Ash inquired to play along with Riley.

"Well, it's been great! My travels actually took me here. I've been on Shamouti Island for the past several weeks. I like it here, though, so I may stay here for the rest of my vacation," Riley answered.

"Riley's been a splendid guest," Carol spoke. "We're happy to have him. One would think he was born on this island with how well he fits in."

"Well, you always were one to adapt quickly," Ash said to Riley.

"Hold on. I think one of you mentioned a festival was today. What kind is it?" Serena wondered.

"Oh. The Legend Festival is a celebration we have every year. It's to honor the legend of Shamouti Island of the Chosen One coming to save the world some day. We have our maiden as the star of the show, and she gives the Chosen One his task for that year as a symbol for when the real Chosen One comes," Carol explained.

"Hey! That sounds pretty neat!" Tracey commented.

"I say we join them," Ash suggested to the others.

The rest of the group nodded their heads to show they agreed, but Serena had a slightly different thought going through her head. If this was some sort of festival, there would be a lot of great items in stock. Serena would have the perfect opportunity to get Ash his gift while they were out having a good time. She wouldn't squander her opportunity now like she did on Kumquat Island.

"So Carol, are you going to be the star of the show this year and play the ocarina?" Maren asked as she made instrument playing motions with her fingers.

"No. I'm too old to do it now. It will have to be taken over by my little sister," Carol answered before she added as an afterthought, "Hmm…I wonder where she could be."

"I'm right here!" a female's voice stated from above everybody.

All eyes turned to the girl that had yelled out. The girl seemed close to Ash, Serena, and Leaf's age and had long auburn hair that split off at the center into two pigtails. She wore casual clothes and sported sunglasses and a green beanie cap on her head.

"Sheesh! I'm the only one not wearing some dumb costume! You would think after several centuries you all would've outgrown this dorky ritual," the girl said in annoyance.

"It's our tradition, Melody! How could you have an attitude like that? You should be honored that you're taking part!" Carol replied back in slight anger.

"Don't worry. I'll do my part in the festival," the girl known as Melody reassured before she crossed her arms and added the last bit in a sassy tone. "I've only seen you do it a hundred times."

"Just be there," Carol huffed before she turned apologetically to the guests on the island. "Unfortunately, _that's_ my little sister, Melody. Don't be fooled. She isn't always this adorable!"

"So have you managed to find a suitable Chosen One?" Maren asked Carol as she disembarked from the ship, too, and joined Ash and the others at their sides.

"No. Not yet. There haven't been many Pokemon trainers who have visited the island right now," Carol sighed.

"Wait. A Pokemon trainer? If you're looking for one, Ash is," Maren pointed.

"You're a Pokemon trainer?!" all of the islanders exclaimed while they began to crowd around Ash which made him slightly nervous. Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulders and glared in annoyance at the group of people.

"The ancient legend foretells your arrival, young man!" an old man's voice boomed from one of the costumed villagers as he got the closest to Ash.

"They do?" Ash asked, slightly unnerved.

"That's right! Only with you can the guardian of the waters vanquish the great titans of fire, ice, and lightning!" the old man affirmed before he took off his mask and got in Ash's face. "In your hands, Oh Chosen One, rests the fate of the world!"

"Ummm…," Ash uttered with a sweat drop, not knowing what to make of the situation.

"Don't let it worry you, Ash. It's all just for show and the tourists," Riley reassured and patted Ash on the shoulder.

"Hahaha! That's right, kid!" the old man added and put his mask back on.

"That's a relief," Ash breathed. He wasn't so confident about his world saving abilities. Moltres told him about his role as the Chosen One a while back, but surely it couldn't be now.

"I think you should do it, Ash! It sounds like fun!" Leaf encouraged.

"That's right. Though if you're going to be the one saving the world, I'm a little worried," Misty joked.

"Hardy, har, har!" Ash laughed sarcastically at Misty.

"He has my vote as one who can save the world. I can always trust Ash with anything," Serena said as she hugged Ash's arm.

"So you're a Pokemon trainer, huh?" Melody asked as she appeared from out of nowhere and appeared to be inspecting Ash.

"Yeah. I am," Ash replied, not knowing where Melody was going with this.

"You'll do, I suppose," Melody deduced with a smile before she removed her sunglasses which revealed quite pretty blue eyes. "Here's your traditional welcome kiss, Ash."

That's when Melody did something completely unexpected. She leaned over and gave Ash a soft kiss on the cheek. It wasn't just a small peck, either! It lasted for a good three seconds. Ash stood there, completely stunned at the gesture, clearly not expecting it. He unknowingly got a little red in the face. He had never been kissed by any girl except Serena outside of his family.

Speaking of Serena, if she had been holding Togepi, she would've dropped it in her shock. The honey-blonde girl looked absolutely rigid at what Melody had just done to her Ash. There were no kisses allowed from any girls that weren't family except her! This would not do! Serena soon found her face turning red, but not from embarrassment, but from anger. She then saw Ash actually appeared to be red in the face which only added fuel to her anger.

Tracey, Leaf, and Misty took a step back out of reflex when they saw Serena's expression. If things weren't careful, this could get pretty ugly. Melody, meanwhile, looked on innocently like she hadn't done anything wrong at all…until she saw Serena's expression. Melody then rubbed her chin and addressed Serena.

"Hey. Are you Ash's sister?" she asked.

"I am NOT his sister," Serena growled through clenched teeth.

"Oh! Then you must be his girlfriend. Otherwise you wouldn't look so ticked off at what I just did," Melody giggled.

"As a matter of fact, I am, and my name is Serena!" Serena declared as she grabbed on to Ash for emphasis before she looked at her boyfriend who still hadn't said a word since being kissed by Melody. "Say something, Ash!"

"Umm...right. Serena's my girlfriend," he muttered, still in shock.

"Gee…thanks, Ash. You seem so thrilled about it," Serena uttered in annoyance that he wasn't doing much to back her up.

"Don't worry! Don't worry! I didn't mean anything romantic by that kiss, Serena. You can still have your Ash!" Melody told her.

"Hmph!" Serena grunted as she turned away to look at Ash, but her anger and annoyance turned to worry when she saw he was still in the same state as when Melody kissed him.

"Ash? Her kiss didn't affect you that much, did it?" Serena asked in hurt.

Ash finally seemed to snap out of his trance at Serena's words. That's right. It was true the kiss from Melody had genuinely surprised him, but Serena was his girlfriend. He was only a guy who was soon to become a teenager now that he was twelve, but only Serena's kisses should be having this effect on him. What was wrong?

"Don't worry, Serena. I'm sorry. You're my girlfriend, and I only have eyes for you," Ash reassured as he set down Togepi and gave Serena a full hug.

Serena relaxed slightly in Ash's arms once he said that. Yeah. Ash's arms were comfortable. Serena realized that she was just being silly. Ash only didn't say anything because of his surprise. He wasn't really into Melody. Serena knew she should just relax and not be so jealous at the first sign of trouble. Both she and Ash knew that they were together, and one kiss from another girl shouldn't affect their relationship like that. With that in mind, Serena shouldn't hold any ill will towards Melody anymore, either.

"There! All better now!" Melody smiled once she saw Serena look quite content with his words.

"Yeah. We're good," Serena said as Ash released her.

"Great! With that being said, I'll be happy to perform in tonight's legend banquet," Melody stated.

"Oh? Why the sudden change of heart?" Carol asked curiously.

"No reason," Melody replied as she put her sunglasses back on and addressed the group. "It starts at eight o'clock tonight. I hope to see you all there."

"Awesome! We'll be there!" Serena replied to Melody to show she harbored no bitter feelings.

"I look forward to it," Melody nodded before she smirked at Serena. "Just try not to get jealous again, Serena."

That was, Serena had no bitter feelings until Melody said THAT. Just what was Melody going to do anyway? Serena narrowed her eyes at the girl. She would be watching Melody very closely.

Her friends all gave Serena a nervous smile once again. They sure hoped Serena wasn't feeling threatened by Melody. This girl was apparently just kidding and not really attracted to Ash. Maybe some reassuring from them would help if things looked like they would get any worse.

"Excellent! We have our Chosen One and Maiden! This year's festival will be a great success!" the elderly man, presumably the mayor of Shamouti Island, shouted.

With that, many of the people around them began cheering and shouting. They all then took out instruments and began playing them with happy music. They all then began filing off the beach and back towards the mainland. Carol and Riley put their mask back on and gestured for the group to follow them. With a shrug to each other, they did. As they were walking, Ash felt a slight elbow to his side. Ash turned and saw his uncle was the one who was prodding him.

"Psst, Ash. A slight word of advice from your uncle. If a girl asks for confirmation that you're her boyfriend, answer yes in a much more positive tone next time," Riley whispered.

"Right. I'll make sure to. It's just Melody really caught me off guard," Ash whispered back.

"Well, I'm just glad everything's good now. As long as Serena's fine, everything will be okay," Riley said.

Ash turned back around and saw Serena giving Melody an extremely annoyed look. Melody, meanwhile, had her hands behind her back as she casually strolled along to the side of Serena. Either she didn't notice the look Serena was giving her or was completely ignoring it. Either way, Ash hoped that these two would be able to find some peace with each other. The last thing he wanted was for Serena to be upset by Melody's presence and start doubting herself. He would need to find a way to diffuse the situation. He just had to reassure Serena that he was hers and hers alone.

* * *

It was nighttime now on Shamouti Island. The Legend Festival was in full swing right now. Booths were setup all along the island's main street while various lights decorated the town. Natives as well as tourists alike were all wandering the streets. Some of the younger children were even out playing despite the late hour or wore masks that their parents just got them. The island was quite active right now. It was a great sight despite the still dark clouds that were looming over the island. Everything was going great so far.

Serena was making her way along the street as she looked at what all the various booths had to offer. She knew exactly what she was going to get Ash, but had yet to find it. She had thought about asking Leaf or Misty to help her look for it but ultimately decided against it. Since this would be her gift to Ash, Serena wanted to be the one to find it. That's how she found herself alone at the moment. When she broke away from the group earlier, telling them she was going to take a walk, Ash looked quite worried.

He had asked her if it had anything to do with the incident earlier, but Serena reassured him that it didn't and that she would be fine. Leaf and Misty, of course, knew exactly what Serena was doing and assured Ash of the situation, as well. Ash then brushed it off and told her to be back in time for the Legend Banquet where they would be celebrating his birthday. Of course, Serena promised she would.

As Serena walked, she had come across various booths that sold many gifts but nothing like a pendent. Surely this island had to have something like that. It would just be really strange if it didn't.

"Hey, there, young madam! Would you like to try some of Shamouti Island's famous pineapples? You won't find any like this anywhere else!" a merchant pitched to Serena as she passed by.

Serena gave a shrug, figuring one couldn't hurt. She was saving up her appetite for Ash's party tonight, but she didn't really have a lunch because she was anxious about getting Ash's gift. She made her way over to the merchant and picked up a cup of the sliced pineapple he was offering. Serena took a plastic fork from a nearby tray before she picked took a bite, and her eyes lit up.

"Hey! This is actually really good!" Serena smiled as she took another bite.

"Hahaha! What did I tell you?!" the merchant laughed before he added, "In fact, have one for free! I'm feeling generous right now!"

The man than took one of the pineapples he was selling and placed it in a bag before he handed it to Serena, who nodded her thanks

"Excuse me. You wouldn't happen to know where I could get a gift for a friend's birthday, would you?" Serena asked kindly.

"Well, you could really get a birthday present from any of the gift booths. If you are getting something special, though, you might want to try the booth at the very end of the road that way," the merchant answered as he pointed his index finger in the direction she needed to go.

"I see. It's actually for my boyfriend," Serena replied as she took another bite of the delicious pineapple.

"Oh yeah. I'm positive that whatever it is you're looking for, that booth will have it," the merchant said.

"Thank you very much, sir!" Serena smiled as she bowed to the man and made her way over to where the man told her.

"You're welcome, and don't forget to encourage others to try our pineapples!" the merchant hollered after her.

"Okay!" Serena giggled as she left.

After a few more minutes of walking, Serena finally made it over to the booth that she presumed the man was talking about. It appeared be selling various gifts like the others but also had…jewelry and necklaces! Serena grinned broadly as she hurriedly made her way over to the booth and looked at the selection of items that it offered.

"Are you looking for anything in particular, miss?" the merchant at the booth asked her.

"Yes ma'am. I'm getting my boyfriend a necklace for his birthday and was tipped off that this booth might have something to like that," Serena replied.

The woman gave a knowing smile. "Would it happen to be one that would match the pendent you're wearing?"

"Oh. How did you know?" Serena asked as she looked at her own pendent.

"I've been selling this stuff for years, honey," the woman answered. "I think I know the perfect one."

The merchant then made her way over to the side and picked up a small necklace. Serena gasped when she saw it almost looked identical to the one Ash had given her. It was made out of platinum and had a golden heart-shaped locket in the middle. The colors were a little darker to show it would be more fitting for a boy to wear, but still, what were the odds of that?!

"It's beautiful," Serena muttered as the merchant presented the necklace in front of her.

"I'm sure your boyfriend will love it," the merchant smiled.

"I know he will. This is so great. I'll take it," Serena affirmed.

Serena paid for the pendant and thanked the merchant graciously before she held the necklace she got for Ash and her own necklace side by side. They really did match and would go perfectly with each other. This would let the whole world know that she and Ash were together and nothing could ever bring them apart. She couldn't wait to see Ash's reaction when she got him a matching pendant to go with her own! Now all she had to do was get a small picture of her and Ash inside the locket. It wouldn't be too hard. She had a spare photo in her backpack.

"Serena!" a voice called out to her.

Serena turned in the direction and saw Leaf sprinting towards her. Leaf stopped once she reached her and began panting. The brown-haired girl had clearly ran all of the way here.

"Leaf! I finally found a matching necklace to give Ash!" Serena smiled as she showed Leaf the pendant.

"That's great, Serena! Really! Ash's party and the Legend Banquet are about to start, though! I came looking for you because you weren't back yet!"

Serena checked her Pokegear and gasped when she saw it was only ten minutes until eight o'clock. She really was running late.

"By the way, why are holding a bag with a pineapple in it?" Leaf asked strangely.

"Oh. I got it for free," Serena replied with blush. It probably did look rather weird.

"Never mind that! We need to go! Come on!" Leaf said dismissively as she and Serena took off back to the Maiden Hall where the banquet was taking place.

* * *

Leaf and Serena had arrived at the Banquet Hall and could see it was pretty packed. The two girls glanced around as they made their way through the massive crowd until they could see Ash, Tracey, and Misty at one of the tables with Ash's presents on top. It was apparently taking some effort to save Leaf and Serena their seats as they already had to turn away several people and said the seats were reserved for their friends. Upon seeing the Leaf and Serena, the three's eyes lit up.

"There you are! We were getting pretty worried you wouldn't make it in time!" Tracey said.

"We almost didn't!" Leaf panted as she plopped down next to Ash while Serena sat down on Ash's other side.

"Did your walk honestly take that long?" Ash asked in a clueless tone.

"Hahaha! Yeah! I just lost track of time!" Serena laughed nervously.

"Buying pineapples apparently," Misty commented once she noticed Serena's bag contents.

"So where's Mr. Riley?" Serena asked to ignore what Misty said.

"Oh? He's off doing…something. I don't know what it is, but he still gave me a quick gift and said he would be back in time for my cake," Ash answered.

"What did he get you?" Serena asked curiously.

"Well, he didn't exactly plan on being here for my birthday since us running into each other here was chance. He got me a card and two thousand pokedollars and told me I could buy my own gift with it," Ash chuckled.

"That sounds like your uncle always being on the go," Leaf said.

"Well, I'm glad you're all here for my birthday! It really means a lot," Ash smiled.

"You bet, Ash! Now hurry up and open your presents!" Leaf urged.

"Alright! Alright! One would think it was your birthday with how eager you are," Ash smiled as he took the first present which was from Misty.

Ash opened the small present and put on a questioning look as he took out from the box what appeared to be colored blank cards. Upon seeing his expression, Misty rolled her eyes before giving Ash her explanation.

"They're Pokegear cards, Ash. You can swipe them in your Pokegear and get the latest upgrades. One of them gives you a calendar and journal so you can keep track of things. The other card adds a record of the battles you've won and lost. Every time you win battles, you earn points. You can trade in those points at any Poke-Mart and get some discounts on items," she said before she addressed Serena. "I'll make sure to get you those upgrades, too, for your birthday, Serena!"

"Sounds great!" Serena smiled.

"Oh! I gotcha! Thanks a lot Misty!" Ash grinned.

"Anything to make you better organized, Ash," Misty smirked.

"Open mine, next!" Leaf grinned as she took her present and thrust it into Ash's hands.

The raven-haired boy stumbled slightly from the small push but quickly regained his balance. He opened the present and grinned broadly once he saw the box as he knew what it was immediately.

"Awesome! A Vs. Seeker! I've always wanted one of these since they first came out!" Ash exclaimed before he turned to Pikachu. "Now we can have even more battles, buddy! I can't wait to try this thing out here on Shamouti Island! Any battles I win here I can record in my Pokegear now! This is cool!"

"A Pokemon trainer never rests. This Vs. Seeker ensures it," Leaf smiled.

"Thanks a lot, Leaf!" Ash replied as he gave her a high five. That was something they hadn't done in a while.

Tracey looked rather nervous as he handed a small, unwrapped box to Ash. Giving gifts had always made Tracey a little nervous as he wondered if the person would like them. He hadn't know Ash as long as the others so he took a different approach for Ash's gift.

Ash opened the small box and pulled out a brown leather wallet. He smiled as he looked at Tracey.

"Well, I've noticed that you're always cramming your money in your backpack which isn't very safe. I figured now that you earn money as a Pokemon trainer and are getting a little older, you could use a wallet to properly store your money. I haven't known you as long as the others so I wasn't quite sure what you would really like so I got something you needed instead," Tracey said while he rubbed the back of his head.

"No! It's okay, Tracey! Thanks a lot! I'm sure I'll make great use of it!" Ash grinned as he unzipped his backpack before he took out a sizable amount of pokedollars. He then stuffed it all rather untidily in the wallet. The others couldn't help but sweat drop at that.

"Chuuu," Pikachu sighed. Even it believed that Ash was defeating the purpose of a wallet like that.

"Try folding it so looks neater, Ash," Misty suggested as she rested her face in her palm.

"Alright. Alright," Ash replied as he positioned the money more suitably.

"Ash, if it's okay, I'd like to give you my gift when it's just the two of us. Is that okay?" Serena asked shyly.

"Huh? Sure, Serena. Of course it is!" Ash replied with a thumbs up.

Leaf and Misty winked at Serena while Tracey put on a look of confusion. He had apparently been out of the loop about what Serena had gotten Ash. Misty gave Tracey a look that signaled she would explain later to which he nodded.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving! Let's eat! That buffet looks awesome!" Ash exclaimed as he and Pikachu hungrily looked at the tables of food in front of everyone.

"Sounds good to me!" Leaf agreed as the two got up from their seat and made their way over to the food with Serena and Misty following close behind. Tracey volunteered to stay behind and watch everyone's things while they were gone and would get his share once they returned.

Ash returned with massive pile of food as usual. He was really wanting to sample everything but had run out of room. Leaf's plate was considerably less than Ash's but still a lot in general while Misty and Serena's plates were a lot more modest. Tracey went to get his food once they returned, and once he got back, they all dug in to enjoy in the feast. Ash would be getting his birthday cake after the feast.

"I wonder when Melody's supposed to come out and play her ocarina. I bet it sounds great," Tracey wondered, not noticing Serena's eyebrow had twitched slightly at Melody's name being said. That girl rubbed her the wrong way.

"She should be coming out in a little bit. It's almost 8:30, and I'm sure they give everyone time to eat before Melody comes out," Misty replied.

"Man. I can't wait to see what my part in the Legend Ceremony is going to be!" Ash said eagerly as he ate.

"I'm sure whatever it is, you'll do great, Ash!" Serena told him as she tried to be encouraging and held back her slight apprehension about Melody appearing again.

It was at that moment that a beautiful sound rang out through the air. Everyone immediately quit talking as all eyes now focused on the stage where the sound came from. Another sound just as lovely sounded throughout the room, and Melody danced onto the stage while she played her ocarina. Far from the casual clothes she was wearing earlier, Melody was now wearing a white outfit befitting for a maiden with brown sandals on her feet and a clear headdress adorned with flowers. The group was especially stunned how big of a change this was from earlier.

Melody continued to play the ocarina and dance while everyone watched in interest and admiration. Her dance was so captivating, and it was quite easy to lose yourself into her movements. Ash himself was becoming quite mesmerized as he unknowingly never took his eyes off Melody since she appeared on stage. She was so serene…like his girlfriend Serena couldn't help but notice this as she looked back and forth from Melody to Ash.

"Pika, Pi," Pikachu whispered softly as it waved its tiny hand in front of Ash's face so he could snap out of it.

Ash blinked and seemed to wake up from a trance he had been in. It was then he realized how lost he had become in Melody's graceful movements. He chanced a look at Serena and put on a guilty expression when he saw her look. It was quite expressionless which made him feel even more awkward. He couldn't be doing this. Unintentionally or not, Ash knew he couldn't be looking at another girl like how he was just looking at Melody when he had Serena. He then put on a more neutral look.

After a couple of minutes, Melody stopped playing her ocarina as the banquet hall erupted into applause. It quickly died down, however, as Melody ran off the stage and somehow managed to find Ash rather quickly. She then stood next to him and spread out her hands while Ash watched in wonder and Serena watched suspiciously. If Melody tried anything, Serena would make good use of that pineapple she received and send Melody on a trip to the moon.

"Hear ye all! From the trio of islands, ancient spheres shall you take! For between life and death, all the difference you will make!" Melody declared as she knelt down in front of Ash and looked at him almost pleadingly.

Ash smiled at this while Serena shrugged her shoulders. In all honesty, she was really curious as to what Ash had to do as well for this ceremony. It was probably something really exciting, and she wouldn't want to spoil his time. This was his birthday and being the Chosen One was a special honor that she should tolerate. Anything Melody did was just part of the show. She then let out a small gasp as Melody reached out grabbed one of Ash's hands with both of hers as she continued to look at him with a pleading look.

 _"It's just part of the show. It's just part of the show,"_ Serena thought to herself over and over.

"Oh, Chosen One. You must climb to the shrine to right what is wrong, and the world will be healed by the guardian song," she said.

"Sooo…what do I do?" Ash asked in confusion.

"I just told you, Ash," Melody replied with a cute smile and broke character for only a second.

"Well…yeah. I heard that part, but what do I DO?" Ash emphasized.

"Oh, it isn't hard, Ash, not for you anyway," she answered with a wink while Serena glared. That couldn't have been part of the show as Melody seemed to be reverting back to her usual self. Melody then stood up and seated herself between Leaf and Ash, much to Serena's further annoyance. "Almost all of the Chosens come back alive!"

"Melody!" Carol scolded from somewhere in the crowd of people.

"W-w-wait. What do you mean by 'almost'? Ash asked apprehensively.

"Relax. I was just kidding," Melody giggled before she answered his previous question. "All you have to do is get these glass balls from three different islands. One from Fire Island. One from Ice Island, and the other is from Lightning Island. You then bring them to the shrine back here."

"Oh. I see," Ash smiled, relieved that it didn't seem dangerous, after all.

"Then I celebrate while playing this song," Melody continued as she glided off the chair and spun around gracefully. She then played a short tune on her ocarina. "Then it's over, oh Chosen One."

"That sounds pretty cool, Ash! Are you going to do it?" Leaf asked.

"You bet!" Ash answered before he addressed Melody. "So do I get to wear a cool costume?!"

"Sorry. It's just come as you are," Melody replied before she added with a giggle. "Besides, you look perfect enough to me!"

Serena glared even harder at Melody. The auburn-haired girl had to know that Serena was glaring at her. Melody was totally flirting with Ash, and Serena didn't like it one bit! The worst part was Ash wasn't even doing anything about it! Was he just being totally oblivious to all of this…or did he actually know it and purposely wasn't doing anything. That thought almost made Serena's eyes water a little bit.

"Serena? Are you okay?" Tracey whispered so Ash wouldn't hear but shrunk back when Serena glared at him instead.

Serena then sighed to herself once Tracey did that. Great. Now she was letting this situation affect those around her. She had been in this situation before. She still remembered that time in Cerulean City when she suspected Ash and Leaf having interest in each other, but all that turned out to be was a complete misunderstanding. Surely, this was the same thing, and Serena was over emphasizing everything. Still, the thought of Melody kissing Ash and him not doing anything about kept coming back to her mind.

"Okay! I'll do it, Melody! Nothing is going to stop me!" Ash declared as he and Pikachu stood up with determination. "Get me a boat, and I'm ready!"

"There's no rush, Ash. You have all day tomorrow to do it. Tonight's just for fun! Stay and enjoy the party," Melody encouraged.

"That's right, Ash. We haven't even had your birthday cake yet," Tracey added.

"It's your birthday. Just relax and have fun," Misty said.

Ash shrugged. "Well, I guess that's okay. I'll leave first thing tomorrow and complete my task!"

"Good attitude, Ash! I'll be happy to provide you with the boat!" Maren stated as she approached the group.

"Thanks, Maren!" Ash replied before he looked at all of his friends. "Whose coming with me?!"

"I'll be there!" Leaf affirmed.

"Me, too!" Misty nodded.

"Count me in," Tracey said.

Serena took a deep breath before she smiled at Ash. "I'll be there, too, Ash!"

"Great!" Ash nodded before he faced Melody. "We're in."

"Awesome! I'll see you all tomorrow! Good luck, Ash, and happy birthday!" Melody stated before she turned around and sauntered away from the group. It was then everyone in the hall began conversing once more that the show had ended.

"This is going to be so awesome! Right, buddy?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded.

Serena smiled despite her feelings at the moment. She was happy that Ash was getting to participate in this ceremony. She just didn't particularly like how it was playing out. She knew she sounded selfish, but the difference between now and Leaf in Cerulean City was Serena didn't know Melody like she did Leaf. Besides, Ash was actually her boyfriend now. Serena then looked down at the pendant around her neck that Ash gave her, and her hurt feelings instantly evaporated.

There it was. It was the symbol of their relationship. It signaled they would always be together no matter what. Ash never showed any sign of wanting Serena to take that off. He liked it on her just as much as she did. He even said it looks good on her. How could Serena feel upset and…jealous when she always has this? Anytime someone else like Melody came along, all Serena had to do was look at her pendant. Serena then smiled as she looked at Ash. She was ready now to give Ash her own confirmation of their relationship.

"Ash, if it's okay, I'd like to give you your birthday gift now. Could we go someplace alone?" she requested.

"Of course, Serena," Ash nodded before he looked at his three other friends and Pikachu. "Could you guys watch Togepi while we're gone?"

"You got it, Ash!" Leaf replied with a thumbs up, and when Ash turned around, Leaf looked at Serena and winked to show her support.

"We won't be too long. Come on, Ash," Serena said as she gently grabbed Ash's hand and led him through the big crowd of people.

The two then were outside as Serena continued to lead Ash by the hand. She knew the perfect spot to give Ash her gift. It was nighttime on the beach and the view would be perfect. She couldn't wait to see Ash's reaction.

Ash, meanwhile, felt like his head was a jumbled mess. Despite his apparent neutrality to all of the events so far tonight, even he noticed Melody's slight flirting to him. He just couldn't get her out of his head, and he didn't know why, especially the kiss she gave him. Melody was the only girl that had ever kissed him or he kissed besides Serena. Well, if one didn't count the time that Gary made him kiss Leaf when they were little as a dare. Even so, that was just like kissing a sister and didn't mean anything. It felt different with Melody, though. She was pretty, of course, but…what was going on? Why did he feel weird when Melody kissed him? He only felt that way around Serena. Ash really wished Brock was still around so he could ask for advice about what was going one. The tanned boy would definitely have an answer of why he felt like that around another girl than Serena.

"Here we are, Ash," Serena said softly as they stepped onto the beach.

Ash jolted away from out of his thoughts which didn't go unnoticed by Serena. She chose to ignore it this time, though. She was about to give Ash a special gift for his birthday. She would always feel secure in their relationship with this.

The two stopped walking not too far in front of the ocean. Despite the waves still being extremely rough and the sky overcast above them, it still made for a great scene. It wasn't like it was raining. Serena then turned to Ash and gave him a tender look.

"Happy birthday, Ash," she told him.

"Yeah. It's hard to believe I'm almost a teenager now," Ash replied lamely as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"It's been over a year and an half since we began our Pokemon journey," Serena said as she continued to look at Ash.

"Yeah. A lot has happened since then," Ash agreed.

"It has, especially between us," Serena said before she held up her pendant for Ash to see. "Ash, on my last birthday, I was so happy when you gave me this pendant. You didn't know it at the time, but this was the best gift I've ever received from you and held so much meaning to me. It was a symbol of our relationship and how we are always there for each other."

"Heheheh. Yeah. I'm glad I got it, too. We'll always be together, Serena," Ash nodded with a thumbs up.

Serena giggled at Ash's trademark gesture before she went on. "Even so, just having one necklace in our relationship wasn't enough for me. That's when it came to my mind the perfect thing to get you for your birthday this year."

"Really? What is it?" Ash wondered as he heated up a bit.

Serena then reached into her pocket before she withdrew Ash's gift with her hand still closed. She then slowly brought her hand up in front of Ash before she opened it to present to Ash the matching necklace with a heart-shaped locket she got him. Ash's eyes instantly widened when he saw that.

"Serena…," Ash trailed as he took it.

"Open it," Serena told him with a nod.

Ash did as told and his mouth hung open. Inside the locket was a picture of him and Serena. They looked so happy and content. The emotions inside the picture were nothing what Ash felt at the moment. He was astounded.

"You got me a matching necklace to go with your own," he muttered.

"Yes, Ash. My pendent showed how much you care for me. Now I got one for you. We now have matching necklaces. Now that there are two, this shows how we'll never be apart from each other. We'll always be together!"

Ash looked up from the locket to Serena as he gave her a big smile. "Thanks a lot, Serena. I love it."

Serena gazed lovingly at Ash before stepped forward and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek before wrapping him in an affectionate hug. Serena was so happy and content right now. Ash loved the gift, and now they could match. Serena knew that as long as they had these, there was no one who could ever take that away from them. The fact that Ash accepted it must mean he feels the same way. Now Serena had complete comfort and security in her relationship with the matching lockets and didn't have to feel threatened by any other girl at all. Ash would never do that to her.

Ash returned the embrace graciously. How could he have been so stupid? Serena was the sweetest and best girl in the whole world. How could ever feel the same way for another girl as he felt about her? The answer was he couldn't! They were a couple, and there was no one in the world Ash would rather be with. So what if he felt a little weird and felt a slight tingle in his cheeks when Melody kissed him and flirted with him? This moment just now confirmed that what Ash felt around Melody was nothing compared to how he felt around Serena. Ash knew there would be other girls that came along in the future, but even if he held the slightest bit of attraction to them, it was nothing compared to his feelings for Serena. Ash no longer felt confused by any of this. It was just part of growing up. This was the best birthday he ever had.

Now he could accept this pendant Serena had given him and forget all about…what was her name again? Oh.

"Melody," Ash mumbled out in a barely audible tone without realizing it.

Ash instantly felt the warmth of Serena's embrace leave him once he said that, and that was before she even let go of him. It felt cold all of the sudden. A thought of fright instantly came to Ash's mind. Was that out loud?!

"What?" Serena asked flatly.

Crap! It was! He had to fix this situation and fast!

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," he said in the most sincere tone he could. That did nothing to change the unreadable expression on Serena's face right now, however.

"You called me Melody," Serena said as she began taking short breaths.

"No, Serena. I promise I wasn't calling you Melody. I would never mistake you for her. I just happened to be thinking about her at the time when I said her name," Ash tried to amend but immediately felt like kicking himself.

 _"Idiot! You just made it worse!"_ he berated himself.

"You were…thinking about her?" Serena asked as her eyes began to water.

"No, Serena! It wasn't like that!" Ash exclaimed. However, his rising tone only made Serena's tone rise, too.

"You were thinking of Melody after I just gave you something so meaningful and was kissing you!?" Serena cried as her voice broke.

"No! I didn't!" Ash replied hastily.

"You just said you did!" Serena shouted.

"Well, I was, but not like that!" Ash defended but put on a look of horror when he put his foot in his mouth again.

"How could you think of Melody, Ash?! Has she really made that much of an impression on you!?" Serena cried hysterically as tears poured from her eyes.

"No! She didn't! There's no contest between you and her!" Ash shouted truthfully, but it was too late. Serena's emotions were starting to take over her words. It was long before her devastated expression turned to one of anger.

"Did you like it when she kissed you, Ash?! Did you like it when she flirted with you?!" Serena accused.

"I didn't! I could never think that way about another girl! I'm not that kind of guy! You know that!" Ash defended and started getting upset himself that Serena would accuse him of such a thing.

"How could you, Ash?!" Serena screamed as tears exploded from her eyes again. Ash's pleas were falling on deaf ears to Serena now.

Ash was beginning to realize the damage he had just done. Serena had led him out to the beach so they could be alone. She then gave him the most genuine and meaningful gift she could ever give him. A symbol of their relationship that they could match and let everyone know they weren't afraid to show it. To say another girl's name while they had such a tender moment must have been the ultimate insult to Serena…even if he didn't mean to.

"Serena…I'm so sorry," Ash said as heartfelt as he could as he moved to give her a hug of comfort. Serena accepted the hug for only the briefest moments when she did something Ash didn't think she would ever do. She pushed him away.

"Don't hug me," she uttered as she looked at Ash with her tear-stained eyes.

"Serena…," Ash muttered as he felt tears come to his eyes, as well. How could this have happened?!

"Leave me alone, Ash!" Serena screamed as she began to back away.

Ash stopped as he gazed at Serena, his eyes full of regret. Despite that look, Serena wasn't able to see it through her feelings of what Ash had done to her.

Serena then looked at the necklace she had given Ash for his birthday just now. The symbol of how they could always be together. It was supposed to hold so much meaning of how it was just her and Ash, and no else. Nothing could ever happen between them. Then it did. Serena glared at the necklace. She couldn't even stand to look at it anymore. That's when she did the unthinkable.

Serena snatched the necklace from Ash, much to his great surprise, and threw it with all of her might into the raging ocean. She then tore off her own necklace and let it fall into the sand. Ash's mouth hung completely open as he looked in utter disbelief at what she had done. He slowly turned to look at her and gave her a very pleading tone. Tears finally began to fall from his face at what he said next.

"Serena…please," he whispered.

Serena couldn't hear him, however, as her own emotions were running on a high right now with what she had just done. She was even more upset now then she was before! Unable to take it anymore, Serena turned around and ran away from Ash as fast as she could. She didn't know where she was going. She just wanted to be away from Ash. The thought of she and Ash together and then what had just transpired made a fresh stream of tears come to her eyes. She couldn't believe this had happened. This was so wrong! Why did this have to happen?! Serena cried all the more as she ran away.

Ash, meanwhile, was completely at a loss at what to do. Ash took one more look at the raging ocean where Serena just threw the pendent she gave him before he turned in the direction where Serena had ran, her sobs getting further and further away. Ash knelt down and gingerly picked up Serena's pendant in the sand and curled a gentle fist around it. He just hurt the girl he vowed would never cry because of him. Serena was devastated, and he was the one to blame for it. Ash's body then started trembling as he began to cry himself. What was he supposed to do now? It was a broken promise.

The best birthday Ash ever had quickly became his worst…

* * *

 **There you go. The ultimate cliffhanger. Let's pray that Serena doesn't kill Melody in their next inevitable encounter. Don't hate on Melody, though. The Power of One arc will show she's very human. Furthermore, with Ash in the state he is in right now, how the heck is he going to save the world? I hope you all enjoyed the setting now that everything is in place.  
**

 **Oh! That's right! The poll! Make sure you vote in it as it is another one that decides which route I take with something. I'm letting you readers decide again!**

 **Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it and a Happy New Year! See you all on January 5 with the new chapter!**

 **Chapter 17: The Power of One: Part One  
**

 **Answering the Questions:**

 _Will Ash ever actually meet Travis?_

 ** _At this point, I have no plans to introduce Travis. That's why I tried to keep it as uncertain and up in the air as possible at the end of the last chapter so readers wouldn't get their hopes up._**

 _Will Pikachu receive some kind of power-up to substitute for not wanting to evolve, like the Light Ball? Or will it just train and naturally overcome it's evolutionary limits?_

 ** _A bit of both actually._**

 _When Brock returns, will be important to the story? Will Misty, Gary, Leaf, Ritchie, etc. be important?_

 ** _Brock will have a much larger role in Johto and especially Hoenn. Gary and Leaf will, too, but in a different way from Brock. Ritchie? Probably not. He's too recurring to be considered an "important" character. As for Misty, I'll find something for her to do. She still leaves after Johto, though._**

 _Will Ash lose at least one gym every region?_

 ** _That's the plan so far. I won't say which ones they are as even I'm not sure yet except for Johto. If I plan on him winning a league sometime soon, he can't lose too many gyms, though._**

 _Do you plan to have Ash use Dragonair against Drake?_

 ** _We'll see. I already have Ash's team of six planned for Drake. Four are the same and two are different. I have something cool planned for battle with Drake, though._**

 _Are Tracey and/or Misty getting any other Pokemon?_

 ** _Not in this arc._**

 _Will Ash think of something awesome for Serena's big day?_

 ** _Do you mean her birthday? Or something else?_**

 _Was Red the mystery trainer?_

 ** _No._**

 _How many years are between Riley and Red?_

 ** _I don't keep in my head the exact number, but it's less than five with Red being older._**

 _Is Riley going to be shipped with anyone?_

 _ **I have someone in mind. He likes being a bachelor right now, though, because he is always traveling.**_

 _I've read a few fics where psychic humans get headaches. Will you do that to Serena?_

 ** _LOL at Serena with a "Psyduck headache"_**

 _When will Dragonair evolve?  
_

 ** _Won't say._**

 _Is Wally going to show up as a rival in Hoenn?_

 ** _He may show his face in Hoenn a couple of times, but his role will be minor...as of right now at least. I've never been a huge Wally fan, but a mentor relationship between him and Ash to help Wally grow up isn't a bad idea either._**

 _So will Snorlax be with Ash during Johto for the first half?_

 ** _It's likely._**

 _Will Togepi evolve very soon?  
_

 ** _No._**

 _Wait why cant ash have an eevee?_

 ** _(sigh) Because it would be redundant with 8 eeveelutions or not. Serena is getting one and May already has one. If Ash "EVER" gets an Eevee or its evolutions, he wouldn't have it until the epilogue of the story, and it would probably be a child of Serena's current Eevee, but who the father is...nobody knows._**


	17. The Power of One: Part One

**A/N: Yep. As expected, there are plenty of people who are upset with what happened next chapter. Well, both Ash and Serena will learn a lesson in this arc. Here is the official start of the Power of One events. I'm sure you all noticed last chapter, but I intentionally skipped a couple of parts (like Lawrence III catching Moltres). That scene would have been no different from canon and thus, boring to read. Just understand that he has already caught Moltres by now.**

 **Please enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon...at all, though it would be cool.**

* * *

Chapter 17: The Power of One: Part One

Serena didn't stop running until she was at the Pokemon Center of Shamouti Island. Unfortunately, because it was still early enough, there were still a lot people out. She ran by several surprised citizens and tourists alike who watched curiously, but she paid them no mind. The worst part was she happened to pass by Leaf, Misty, and Tracey, who were taking a walk out on the main street while they waited for Ash and Serena to come back. They were rather alarmed by Serena's distressed state and tried to stop her to ask what happened, but Serena even ignored them and continued running.

Serena made it to the Pokemon Center not long after. She didn't even stop to drop her Pokemon off for a checkup. She just ran straight to the room they were renting and threw herself onto the bed before she buried her face in the pillow. What had gone wrong?! How could Ash call her by another girl's name when they were sharing a moment together?! How could he have done this to her?! Serena had never been more upset in her life. The boy whom she's had feelings for ever since she had met him and was even her boyfriend liked someone else. Serena couldn't bear the thought as she began to cry again.

A tapping on the door snapped Serena out of her thoughts. She whipped her head around towards the door and gave the angriest glare she could muster.

"Go away, Ash!" Serena screamed.

"…It's me," Leaf's voice said softly from the other side of the door.

Serena's glare lightened considerably once she heard it was Leaf. Even so, Serena was still extremely upset and didn't really want to see anyone right now, not even Leaf. Of course she was going to receive questions and concern from the others since after they saw her run by like that. Serena turned away from the door and continued to sob.

"Serena, please talk to me," Leaf tried again in a soft tone.

Serena stared at the door again for a moment before she relented. She made her way over to the door and unlocked it before she opened the door to allow Leaf entrance. As soon as she did, Serena went back over to the bed and sat on it, tears still streaming down her face. Leaf slowly walked over to the bed and sat down next to Serena before she put her arm around her. Serena let her head fall to the side on Leaf's shoulder as she tried to steady her breathing.

It was then Leaf noticed that Serena wasn't wearing the pendant Ash had given her anymore. The girl's eyes widened as she looked over at Serena in shock. Serena never took that thing off! Something must have gone horribly wrong if Serena wasn't wearing her pendant anymore. She wouldn't just simply lose it. It was too important to her. Leaf feared the worst, but she had to hear Serena say it to believe it.

"Serena…what happened?" Leaf asked in concern.

"It's Ash. He…he…," Serena tried to talk in between her sobs.

"It's okay, Serena. Go on," Leaf soothed.

"I had…given him the necklace…I got him. He said he loved it, and I thought everything was going to be fine…and then he…he…," Serena tried again, but couldn't continue. She took more breaths to steady herself.

"What did he do?" Leaf inquired.

"He called me Melody," Serena finished before she resumed her crying once again.

 _"Ash, you idiot!"_ Leaf thought to herself as she continued to rub Serena's back.

"It doesn't matter if he meant to or not. That was…our moment! How could he…think of another girl during that time?!" Serena cried out.

Leaf wished she had an answer for that, but she didn't. She knew Ash almost as much as she knew herself, but when it came to how a guy's mind worked, Leaf had no idea. The way Leaf saw it, Ash's thoughts must have been really conflicted if he mentioned Melody's name. That and Serena's insecurities must have made the situation spiral out of control. Leaf seriously doubted Ash had fallen for Melody as he would never betray Serena like that. He had to undoubtedly still like Serena, but there wasn't really a suitable excuse Leaf could find for him. Leaf almost wanted to bop him upside the head for his stupidity, but that wouldn't help the situation any. Knowing Ash, he had to feel horrible enough as it is even if Leaf personally hadn't seen him since he left with Serena. Leaf felt just as bad for Ash as she did for Serena right now.

I'm sure Ash still likes you and only you, Serena," Leaf tried to comfort. "He's said time and time again that there was no girl he would rather be with than you."

"I know…but…I threw away our necklaces," Serena whimpered.

Leaf closed her eyes at that. Yes. That confirmed what had happened to the pendant. She knew that had to seriously hurt the both of them. This was going to be a really hard problem to mend. Leaf could tell Serena about all of the great times she and Ash had together, but in the end, it wouldn't matter because that was all before they knew Melody, and that's what Serena couldn't get out of her head.

"I'm sorry, Serena. It'll be okay," Leaf soothed as she hugged her friend and continued to rub her back soothingly. It was the only thing Leaf could do right now was comfort Serena in her time of distress. Leaf knew the only one who would be able to fix this was Ash.

* * *

Ash was sitting with just Pikachu inside the banquet hall at the moment. It was almost eleven o'clock at night, and the place had long since cleared out. He had just been sitting there alone at the table for the past thirty minutes, fiddling with the pendent he gave to Serena on her last birthday. The thought of her devastated expression and her throwing the pendent she got for him in the ocean wouldn't leave his mind.

He didn't really want to be found by any of friends right now. Ash had stayed on the beach for the longest time after Serena left. Pikachu had found him about twenty minutes after Serena left. Despite its prodding for what happened to make its trainer so upset, Ash couldn't answer. Only after a lot of encouragement from Pikachu and assurance that everyone would be out of the banquet hall did Ash leave the beach.

Ash didn't doubt his friends had seen Serena by now, and after hearing her side of the story, they were all probably mad at him. He was trying to avoid them right now. Ash really wanted only to see Serena right now so he could apologize and tell her how much she means to him, but would she _want_ to see him right now?

 _"I'm sorry, Serena. I'm sorry,"_ Ash said over and over again in his head.

"Pikapi? Pikachu?" the yellow rodent asked as it licked Ash's hand in comfort.

"I messed up, Pikachu. I messed up big time," Ash muttered.

Pikachu looked sadly at the locket in Ash's hand as he hung its ears. It knew that was the pendant that Ash had given Serena on her last birthday, and that she never took it off. What had gone on between those two? Being a Pokemon, Pikachu didn't quite understand human relationships, but it did know that there was something really wrong between its trainer and Serena right now.

"Piiiii…," Pikachu moaned.

"Heh. You, Togepi, and my other Pokemon are probably the only ones who don't think I'm the biggest idiot in the world right now," Ash chuckled bitterly to himself. He didn't know the status of Tracey, Misty, and Leaf, but there was a sneaking suspicion they had an idea of what went on between him and Serena.

"Chuuuu," Pikachu said as it smirked at Ash. Its look caused Ash to smirk back.

"Oh? You already thought I was a big idiot to begin with?" Ash guessed as he laughed lightly at Pikachu's attempt at humor. "Thanks, buddy, but this isn't something that can fixed that easily."

The pair, Pokemon and trainer, stayed there for another few moments. They had been there for so long that Ash had lost track of time. What time was it now? Eleven? Midnight? He didn't care. Ash didn't think he would be able to sleep tonight anyway. Even if his journey to collect the orbs was tomorrow, Ash didn't have the will to do it anymore. The only thing that mattered right now was making things right with Serena, but he had no idea how to do it.

Ash raised his eyebrow in confusion as he heard footsteps behind him. He inwardly grimaced to himself. As much as he wanted it to be Serena who had come to say she forgave him and hear him out, Ash knew that would just be wishful thinking. It was probably either Tracey, Misty, or Leaf who had come to give him a piece of their mind. That was when Ash was surprised when he turned around and saw it was none of them. It was Melody.

"Melody," Ash muttered once he saw her.

"Hey, Chosen One. What's up?" Melody asked him with a wink. "I'm just here to gather my things from the show tonight before I go to bed."

"Oh," Ash replied in monotone as he turned back around. Pikachu quirked its eye at Melody.

That was when Melody noticed the state Ash was in right now. He looked quite upset. Melody took a seat next to Ash and looked at him in concern. It wasn't the time for her to be her usual teasing self.

"You seem really down right now, Ash? Do you want to talk about it?" she offered.

"Serena and I had a fight," Ash mumbled, not knowing why he is talking to Melody of all people about this.

Melody looked in surprise at Ash for a moment before a guilty look took over her features. She had a feeling she was the cause of all this, but she thought it was all in good fun. She was a flirty person by nature and wasn't serious with her comments to Ash. Half of everything was because of the festival and the other half was just because of who she was. She really hoped their fight wasn't because of her interference.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Ash. I can't help but feel I caused this. If you'd like, I'll talk to Serena for you and assure her that there is nothing going on between us at all. You're all hers," Melody told him.

"Thanks, Melody, but this was actually something I did. It's my fault," Ash muttered. He didn't feel the need to tell Melody that he had called Serena by her name. Who knows how Melody would've taken that.

Despite Ash's words, Melody still held a guilty expression. It wasn't because she felt she was the cause of it anymore, but because of her attitude towards Serena the entire time she was here. That poor girl apparently had very fragile feelings, and Melody had been teasing her the whole time. If she knew she would be upsetting Serena and something like this would've happened, Melody would've never done so.

"I'm really sorry, Ash. To both you and Serena," Melody said sincerely.

Ash sighed. "It's okay, Melody. As I said, this was something I did. If I hadn't put my foot in my mouth and said what I said, Serena and I would never be better," he stated truthfully.

"The morning still comes," Melody told him. "It's true that you and Serena must feel horrible right now, but it can all be okay tomorrow. Just give Serena and yourself the night to cool down and try to talk to each other again after a good night's sleep."

"Yeah. I think I will. I'll go do my task of retrieving the orbs tomorrow and try to work things out with Serena afterward," Ash muttered.

"Sounds good! Besides…," Melody added with a wink. "Serena seems pretty attached to you from what I can see. I don't think she'll let you go like that! Girl's intuition!"

"Heh. Thanks, Melody," Ash replied and smiled slightly.

Melody's words really eased his fears surprisingly. At first glance, she didn't seem like the type of person who would care about others' problems. Not to mention, she also confirmed that she didn't hold any true feelings for him and was just flirty by nature. Her actions meant nothing. However, Ash still screwed up by letting the auburn-haired girl get to him like that. At least now he could rest easy knowing another girl wasn't attracted to him. His preteen hormones were taking effect and he overthought everything. Once Serena knew this, he was sure they could work things out.

"Pika," Pikachu smiled now that its trainer finally had smiled. It then looked at Melody. Pikachu may have initially misjudged her and thought she was some girl trying to steal Ash away from Serena. Now, however, she seemed pretty okay to it.

"You bet, Ash. Come on! Let me walk you back to the inn. I have to make sure the Chosen One gets his rest for the task tomorrow," Melody suggested. Upon seeing Ash's nervous look, she added, "Don't worry, if Serena or one of your friends come along, I promise I'll bolt before they see me."

Ash nodded his head. "Okay, Melody…and thanks a lot."

* * *

It was midnight now, and all was quiet on Shamouti Island. All traces of the festival were gone, and all that was left were empty streets. Most people were asleep or about to be asleep. That was save for one person. He was the only one not inside a building at the moment. Riley Ketchum was sitting on a bench in the main strip of Shamouti Island, concentrating. His Lucario was not far away in the shadows, hidden from view and keeping watch.

Riley had been attempting to contact Red for almost ten minutes. He knew that his brother was busy as usual and only answered a call when he could, but what could he be doing at midnight? Surely Red had picked up on Riley trying to communicate with him via aura. Riley wished he didn't have to communicate with Red so late, but this was the only way they could have privacy without anyone listening in.

Riley mentally sighed in relief when he felt a small spark in his mind that wasn't Lucario so it could only be Red. It didn't take as long as he thought it would.

 _"I'm here Riley,"_ Red spoke in his mind.

 _"There you are. Guess who I ran into here on Shamouti Island?"_ Riley asked, attempting to start of the conversation in a lighthearted tone until it became serious.

 _"My son,"_ Red seemed to smile in his mind.

 _"That's right. He was twelve today. He starts to look more like you every year,"_ Riley grinned.

 _"Yeah. I could tell the last time I saw him,"_ Red replied.

 _"He was even chosen to play the 'Chosen One' for this year's Legend Festival,"_ Riley added.

 _"Heh. That doesn't surprise me. I bet he was excited about it,"_ Red smirked.

 _"Oh, he was,"_ Riley replied.

 _"On that note, what's the word?"_ Red asked. He didn't have to specify for Riley to now what he meant.

 _"I finally managed to get in contact with the collector,"_ Riley answered via aura.

 _"Were you able to discover anything suspicious about him?"_ Red inquired.

 _"Suspicious…yes. Incriminating…no,"_ Riley replied with another mental sigh.

 _"What does that mean?"_ Red wondered.

 _"Whenever I was visiting him, he showed me his entire collection, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I was having Lucario scout the rest of his ship to make sure he wasn't hiding anything from me. He answered all of my questions surprisingly well. He was a little odd, but he wasn't evil. His aura proved that much,"_ Riley replied.

 _"Yet what was the suspicious part?"_ Red asked.

 _"While his aura was blue, there was something off about it…like it wasn't fully pure. I really had nothing to go on which is why I let it go…until Lucario found something,"_ Riley said mentally.

 _"What was it?"_ Red asked.

 _"They were these large black rings that seemed to hold no real purpose at first. However, Lucario and I studied them a little bit and discovered they were some sort of capture device. It releases strong volts to shock whatever it captures into submission. It would be rather unusual for the collector to use a machine like that to capture inanimate objects. I think you see where I'm going with this,"_ Riley replied.

 _"Something living, then,"_ Red apparently frowned.

 _"Exactly, and if this guy is a collector, I have a bad feeling that it isn't something common. He has to be after something very big, but I don't know what it could be,"_ Riley said in frustration

 _"Hold on. Didn't you say that this collector has been hanging around Shamouti Island a lot lately?"_ Red questioned.

There was a slight pause as Riley slowly began to piece something together. This collector had a huge interest in the legend of Shamouti Island. The more he thought about it, the more he dreaded it. He sincerely hoped he was wrong about it, but if what Red was implying was true, this wouldn't be good at all and may explain the dark clouds over the island right now.

" _The three legendary birds of the Orange Islands are here. This man can't be insane enough to actually be after them,"_ Riley said grimly.

 _"I don't like it either Riley, but if he owns those forceful capture devices you described to me, he is going to use them for something. Rose and Blue informed me that there are some really strange weather patterns going on in Kanto right now,"_ Red said seriously.

 _"I think I'll go with Ash tomorrow while he collects the orbs,_ " Riley said thoughtfully. _"He'll be visiting the parts of the island where the trio of birds are as part of the ritual. I'll be able to sense if they're in danger while I'm there. Regardless, I'm going to make an unplanned visit to this collector guy one more time."_

There was another pause before Red spoke. _"Riley, do you feel it? I sense that Ash is going to have a big part in all of this."_

Riley sighed again. _"Yes. I sense it, too. I just hope we're wrong."_

 _"Please watch over him Riley,"_ Red said softly.

 _"I will,"_ Riley agreed.

With that, the connection was shut off. Riley looked off towards the looming, black clouds with a frown. They were completely unnatural and could only appear like this if something was out of balance. As hard as he tried, he couldn't do anything about it due to his distance. That was why he was going to the Fire, Ice, and Lightning Island tomorrow and see for himself. Riley then stood up and left to go to his motel room go get some sleep of his own. Something big may happen tomorrow, and if it did, both he and Red felt Ash was going to be involved.

* * *

Ash gave a huge yawn as he slumped onto the beach the next morning. Despite feeling better after Melody had talked to him, Ash still hadn't gotten much sleep. Not only that, but it was just after seven in the morning so he wouldn't have gotten a lot of sleep anyway. He and his friends had initially planned to leave for the task around nine, but after what happened, Ash just wanted to do this by himself to get it out of the way and sort things out with Serena afterward.

The truth was he was really nervous about meeting them. He hadn't seen or talked to either of them since the previous night. Tracey was already asleep in the Pokemon Center room by the time Ash got back, and Ash left the room before the Pokemon Watcher had even woken up. Ash didn't want to seem like he was avoiding them because that only may make him seem guilty. Well, he was, but it was all huge misunderstanding. He was sure Serena would never lie, but he would still like to tell his side of the story when the time came. Right now, he had his task to do.

Ash nodded his head to Maren who nodded back. She had a cup of coffee in her hand and seemed to be a little tired, as well. Ash couldn't really blame her. He just called her thirty minutes ago to ask if it would be okay if they could go ahead and leave. She as initially excited, but that seems to have worn off by now. Ash then gave a surprised look when he saw someone else waiting on the boat, too. It was his Uncle Riley.

"Good morning, Ash!" Riley called with a wave.

"Hey, Uncle Riley. What are you doing here?" Ash asked a little tiredly.

"I wanted to join you on this trip! It isn't every day that one gets to see their nephew be the Chosen One!" Riley answered brightly.

Ash didn't know how his uncle did it. The guy probably got less sleep than anybody else Ash knew in his life, but he was always the most alert and awake of them all. Maybe it had something to do with his aura which kept him active when he needed to be. Nevertheless, Ash was still amazed at his uncle's boundless energy this early.

"Where are your friends and Serena at? I thought they wanted to come with you," Riley asked curiously.

Ash inwardly cringed once he heard Serena's name. All the events from last night came crashing back into his mind. The raven-haired boy didn't really know how to answer his uncle. He didn't necessarily want to say that he and Serena had a fight, because it technically wasn't. As for the others, well…

"Serena and I had a…misunderstanding last night," Ash mumbled as he got on the boat.

"Is everything okay?" Riley asked in concern.

"No, sir. I made a huge mistake. After Serena gave me her birthday gift, I muttered out Melody's name by accident. It wasn't because I mistook Serena for Melody, but happened to be thinking of her in a way that I knew wasn't the way I felt about Serena. Serena heard that and really took it the wrong way," Ash replied and hung his head down.

"Pika Pi," Pikachu consoled as it patted Ash on the back from his shoulder.

"Ah. The infamous name exchange situation," Riley nodded grimly.

"I just have no idea how to fix this. There's no other girl I'd rather be with than Serena, but how am I supposed to get her to believe me if she thinks I like someone else?" Ash wondered miserably.

"Serena's still a young girl and insecure with her feelings," Riley said rather bluntly. "You have to prove to Serena how much you like her. Prove to her that there is no one else in the world for you but her. Words can't do that, but your actions can."

"Prove to her how much I like her…," Ash echoed in thought and crossed his arms. How could he do that? Ash had a feeling Riley wasn't talking about dates or kissing or stuff like that.

"You guys ready to go?" Maren asked in a slightly more awake tone now that she's had a few sips of coffee.

"Yes. We're ready," Ash nodded and then yawned again before he grinned sheepishly.

Maren raised an eyebrow but nodded her head regardless. "In that case, we're on our way to collect those orbs!"

With that, the boat took off into the raging waves. If they were hoping the waves were going to be any better the following morning, they were wrong. The waves were just as nasty as they were the previous day, if not worse, and the clouds were just as bleak. Ash, Pikachu, and even Riley were tossed around relentlessly on the boat as Maren sped over to where Fire Island would be since it was the closest.

"I sure hope the legend doesn't include a funeral," Ash muttered.

"Don't worry. It isn't much further. Just hold out a little longer," Maren assured.

Ash squinted as he saw an island off in the distance. That must be Fire Island. The weird part about it was the clouds appeared to be thinning out the closer they got. One would think the storm was finally going to be over, except the waves were getting all the worse. What was going on?

* * *

Tracey's eyes fluttered open as he woke up. He had intended to wait up for Ash to ask him what had happened with Serena the previous night as she looked quite upset. After eleven o'clock, though, he had gotten rather tired and turned in, hoping to ask Ash about it the previous morning. He turned to the side where Ash's bed was and sat up in surprise when he saw the bed was vacant.

One could easily think Ash never came in at all, but he was clearly here at one point as the bed wasn't made. Did Ash purposely go out for breakfast already without waking him? It was quite unlike Ash to do that. Mainly the two would wake each other up once the other was. Was Ash trying to avoid them or something?

The Pokemon Watcher climbed out of bed before taking a quick shower and put on his clothes. He then stepped outside into the hallway and made his way over to the cafeteria, hoping Ash was there, shoveling away food like normal. He was even more confused when he saw Leaf, Misty, and Serena already there, eating breakfast but still no Ash.

"Good morning, everyone," Tracey greeted.

"Hey, Tracey," Leaf and Misty returned. Serena flashed him a smile but said nothing.

"You guys wouldn't happen to have seen Ash lately, would you?" Tracey asked as he sat down with them.

"Wait. You mean he wasn't in the room with you this morning?" Leaf inquired.

"He may have been earlier as his bed wasn't made, but he must have come in after I went to bed and left before I woke up," Tracey shrugged.

"That's weird. Ash always eats breakfast with us. It isn't like him to miss," Misty mused. Although well after Leaf, she had been informed of the situation between Serena and Ash, too.

"You guys don't think he's trying to avoid us, do you?" Tracey asked.

Serena frowned as her eyes watered again. This should just prove that Ash knew what he did was wrong, and he was too scared to face them. Either that, or he was ditching them to spend more time with Melody since she was the girl he seemed to think about. Serena then shook her head of these thoughts. No. Ash couldn't be like that. She hated the fact that she would think badly of Ash like this, but last night's events wouldn't leave her alone. She wanted nothing more than to think last night was a bad dream and that she would wake up, and everything would be right with Ash and her, but it wasn't.

Tracey couldn't help but notice the troubled expression on Serena's face every time they mentioned Ash. That had proved there was indeed something not good going on between her and Ash, but what on Earth could it be. Those two were always stuck on each other.

"Good morning everyone," a voice called out to them.

Everyone in the group turned as they saw the person they least expected to see right now. In fact, it was even more unexpected than Ash. Everyone let out a small gasp except for Serena, whose expression darkened considerably. It was Melody.

"I came here to make sure Ash was getting ready for his part as the Chosen One. He isn't with you guys?" Melody questioned.

The auburn-haired girl then happened to notice all of the strange looks everybody was giving her, and she sweat dropped. Melody knew there had been a fight between Ash and Serena but had no idea it was because Ash called Serena by her name rather than her own. If she had known that. She might not have been so bold as to approach the group right now.

There was a clanging sound as Serena dropped her fork onto the plate. The honey-blonde girl then pushed her seat back and stood up. She then turned and gave Melody the most heated glare she could muster. It was this girl. It was this girl who caused the fight between her and Ash. It was this girl who shamelessly flirted with him. It was this girl who stole Ash's affection away from her. Leaf, Misty, and Tracey both cringed as they didn't like what was coming.

"It's your fault!" Serena screamed at Melody, drawing the attention of other people in the cafeteria.

Upon hearing the accusation, Melody knew what she was talking about and looked down sadly towards the ground. This girl was obviously upset with her and for a good reason. Even so, Melody at least wanted to explain to Serena to not be mad at Ash.

"Yes. I heard from Ash what happened between you two. I'm so sorry for any trouble I caused," Melody said.

If it was possible, Serena would've glared even harder. This girl absolutely jeopardized her and Ash's relationship, and the only thing she could say was that she was sorry?! Serena had a strong urge to slap Melody but resisted as her friends, Togepi, and many others were watching.

"That's all you can say after what you did to us?!" Serena screamed instead. "It's because of you that this happened. If it wasn't for you…if it wasn't for you…Ash would've have…,"

Melody looked at Serena sadly. Clearly, there was more to this fight than from Ash had told her last night. It wasn't just merely a fight about Melody flirting with Ash like Melody originally thought. Melody looked even guiltier when Serena finished what she had started.

"…He wouldn't have called me Melody during our special moment," Serena finished in a whisper as tears began to full her eyes again.

Melody gasped at that. So that was what this was about. It was true. She had been all over Ash by flirting with him and even kissing him when he had a girlfriend. She had totally sidetracked Ash from the girl whom he should be focused on at all times. Now he made a huge blunder because of it, and despite what Ash said, Melody knew it was her fault.

The auburn haired girl knew it wouldn't ease tension between her and the group if she said that was in her nature to flirt like she had with Ash. That may only make Serena even more upset than she already was, and it was hardly an excuse. She had no idea it would have this much of an impact, though, and Melody felt awful. She also didn't want to let the group know that she and Ash had talked last night. They all might perceive it the wrong way. What could she say?

"Serena, I don't know what to say to that, but what I do know is that Ash cares about you more than anyone else in the…," Melody began, but Serena cut her off.

"DON'T you dare try to explain how Ash feels about me! What do you know?! You don't know the first thing about him! You don't have the right to say anything to me about him! All you did was try to take him from me!" Serena screamed again.

Leaf, Tracey, and Misty gave were staring in shock while Togepi looked quite upset. They had never seen Serena get so angry at someone before. She had always been a sweet-natured girl who would never yell at anyone. To see this side of her was a little unnerving. They then gave a pleading look at Melody that was clearly begging her to leave.

Understanding the message, Melody took a deep breath. She wasn't used to getting screamed at like this. It was actually starting to upset her, too. Before she turned to leave, she decided to say one last thing.

"Serena, I know I can't say anything to make you feel better, but please believe me when I say that I have no interest in Ash nor does he have any interest in me. I hope everything works out between you two," Melody said, her voice full of regret.

"That's going to be hard since we haven't seen him at all," Serena growled.

Melody turned around in shock. "Wait. I saw Maren's boat was gone on the way over here. If you haven't seen him, and I haven't seen him, then…,"

"Did he already go on to collect the orbs without us?" Leaf asked sadly. She was rather upset that Ash would leave them behind. Sure, he wasn't at his best right now, but Leaf didn't really want him to avoid all of them.

"This isn't good," Melody muttered. "If he left already with the storm as bad as it is, it's extremely dangerous. That's why I suggested he wait until it calms a little bit. I have to go after him to make sure he's okay. You guys can come, too."

The group then gave Melody as suspicious glare. Upon seeing their looks, Melody glared back this time.

"Look, this is my fault. I realize that, but it's also my fault that Ash is out there by himself trying to do this. The least I can do is take you all with me on my boat so we can make sure he's okay!" Melody said firmly.

At that, the group nodded and stood up, sans Serena, who merely crossed arms and still gave Melody another heated look. Eventually, her negative emotions of Ash overcame her true feelings for him as concern finally showed in her eyes. Even though she was mad at him, Serena still wanted him to be okay and not have anything bad happen to him. She could handle a single boat ride with Melody as they went to look for him.

"Alright. Let's go!" Melody nodded once she saw everyone had agreed. They then ran out of the cafeteria to go after Ash.

* * *

Professor Oak, Delia, and Grace were watching the news reports from Professor Oak's lab. The wind was howling outside right now as a heavy thunderstorm was moving by. One would think it was just a regular severe thunderstorm, but with everything that's happened recently, however, the three adults doubted it.

With each explanation that was given, the least they liked it. According to the news, the strange weather patterns were caused by a strange phenomenon deep beneath the ocean's surface. This had to have been what was upsetting all of the Pokemon. There was a simulation of the current that was shown be snaking around the globe. Their eyes then widened when they saw the view spread out to an area.

"Wait that can't be," Grace muttered until the news reporter said his next sentence.

"We believe that the source of the disturbance seen is in the north central section of the Orange Islands. The effects have already extended into the nearby Kanto region. It won't be long until they affect the entire world," the reporter said.

"The Orange Islands?! That's where Ash and the others are at!" Delia cried out as tears filled her vision for fear of her son's safety.

"Why is it that when something terrible has happened lately that they are always in the center of it?" Grace wept.

"I don't like this, either. I'm concerned for them, too. I say we make a special trip over there while Rose, Blue, and Daisy sort things out over here in Pallet Town," Professor Oak suggested.

That was when they heard the nearby video phone ringing. Professor Oak quickly answered the phone when he saw it was from Professor Ivy. He was really curious to see what she had to say about this since she lived in the Orange Islands.

"Samuel, we're having serious problems," Professor Ivy immediately said once Professor Oak answered the call, skipping the formalities.

"Go ahead, Felina. What's going on?" Professor Oak asked.

"The Pokemon here are behaving like crazy. The water Pokemon that live here have already swam away while the ones on land are trying to find some way off the island," she reported.

"Yeah! It's wild here!" the group heard Brock cry as he ran by the screen with a Parasect on his head.

"They are?" Professor Oak asked, gasping at the Parasect incident.

"The weirdest part is they aren't scattering in diverse directions. They all seem to be trying to go to the same place," Professor Ivy said.

"Hmm…I don't like this. I'll be making a visit over there to the Orange Islands to see what this is all about. Keep me informed of the situation, Felina," Professor Oak told her.

"I will Professor. Stay safe," Professor Ivy replied as the screen shut off.

Professor Oak then turned to Grace and Delia. "Well, ladies. We're heading the Orange Islands. We'll fly there by helicopter. Let's go!"

* * *

The clouds were now gone as all that showed was the clear morning sky for Maren, Ash and Riley as they continued to push towards Fire Island. The waves were at their worst, however. They could see Fire Island in the distance, but a giant wave would soon block it from view before trying to wash over them. Maren would expertly dodge them, though. Despite this, they were all getting rather wet.

"We're almost there!" Maren yelled.

"Chuuuu," Pikachu mumbled. All of these waves were starting to make it sick.

Ash and Riley were about to tell Pikachu it would be okay until they heard Maren gasp. They turned forward and gasped themselves when it turned out to be the largest wave yet. There was no way they were going to make it over that.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ash yelled and suddenly remembered the near disaster when he and his friends were flipped in Mewtwo's storm.

"Here it comes!" Maren yelled and braced herself for the impact.

Ash shut his eyes and clutched Pikachu as tightly as he could as prepared for the worst. Unbeknownst to him and Maren, Riley's eyes glowed blue, and the boat became enveloped in blue, as well. Riley began steering the boat and keeping it upright with his aura. It was rather difficult to steer a whole boat like this and keep it from flipping over, but Riley's experience as an aura user was making it possible. The boat continued to ride up the wave until they were on top of it. Riley's eyes then glowed blue again as they began to slowly ride it down until the wave had passed them.

Ash opened his eyes in confusion as he knew he should be inhaling seawater by now. He whipped his head around, and his mouth hung open once he saw the monstrous wave behind them now. Maren was quite amazed, too, as she knew there was no way they could make it.

"What…how…," she muttered out but began steering again once she remembered they were still in a raging ocean.

Getting over his shock, Ash turned and gave a sly look at his uncle. He wasn't fooled. He knew that must have all been Riley. The strange clothed man gave a smile back and pretended to play oblivious to keep their captain in the dark. That was just another one of the amazing things aura could do. It saved their lives once again.

"We're going in for a rough landing!" Maren called out, back in captain mode.

Ash and Riley gripped the rails as the ship roared onto the shoreline of Fire Island, scraping a rock as it went by. Ash and Riley visibly flinched as the ship made a rocky ground and skid across the ground, no doubt tearing several holes in the boat as it went. The ship finally slowed to a stop and came to rest in front of a set of stairs. Everyone aboard breathed a sigh of relief that they had made it before Ash checked on his Pikachu. The poor rodent looked ready to pass out and its eyes were spinning around in circles.

"Will you be okay, buddy?" Ash asked it.

"Chuuuuuu," it mumbled dizzily.

"Well, at least we made it," Maren said as she hopped off of the wrecked boat before she sighed. "However, getting back might be a problem."

"We'll find some way, Maren. Thank you for taking us," Riley nodded as he and Ash got off the boat next.

As soon as they got off, Pikachu lost its dizzy look, and its ears perked up. Ash and Riley looked at it curiously as Pikachu began to squirm in Ash's arms and tried to get out.

"What's gotten into you, Pikachu?" Ash asked as he let go.

"Pika Pi!" it answered as it motioned for them to follow it, and it ran onward.

"Wait up!" Ash yelled as he went after it, followed by Riley.

"Stay here where it's safe, Maren! We don't know what could be ahead!" Riley called over his shoulder as he and Ash made their way up the steps.

"Okay! Just be careful!" Maren hollered before retreating into the boat.

Ash couldn't help but think his Pikachu was acting rather weird since yesterday. Had the storms caused it to act like this? That couldn't be it, could it? Pikachu had been in a number of storms. Despite acting a little scared, it had never been frantic like this. Whatever was causing Pikachu to act like this, Ash had a feeling he was going to get his answer soon. Even though he didn't have his friends and Serena with him this time, at least he had Riley. In fact, Ash preferred it this way because he knew they were safe back on Shamouti Island.

As they ran along up the flight of stairs, Riley's eyes glowed blue once more as he did what he was also here for. He wanted to make sure that Fire Island was still in good balance. It only took a quick moment to realize all wasn't well. Riley's eyes stopped glowing as he cast a grim expression. Moltres wasn't here, and he had a bad feeling about what could've happened to it. If he was right, it would explain the storm and the strange weather patterns that he heard were occurring around the world.

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of the group was speeding towards Fire Island on Melody's own boat, as well. It turned out she was actually very skilled with driving it considering she wasn't any older than anyone else who was with her right now. A large wave came hurtling towards them from the side, but Melody expertly steered her boat to the side and road along on the side of the wave until they were past it.

"That was actually pretty good," Serena said, despite herself.

"I've been around boats my whole life and been driving one since I was little. There is no need to be scared," Melody answered quickly as she rode along another wave.

"Well, coming from a water Pokemon gym, I would never get scared of the ocean," Misty jumped in.

"Unless, of course, it's acting like this," Serena muttered while resting her head in her palm.

"Heheheheh," Misty giggled nervously before she corrected herself. "Under normal circumstances, I'm never scared of the ocean."

Melody simply flashed Misty a small smile in return. She was still felt little awkward to be around this group at the moment because of what had happened. On the other hand, they were depending on her to get them to Ash, and Melody hoped that once Serena and Ash saw each other, they would be able to make up.

"Watch out!" Leaf cried.

Melody turned back just in time to see a rather lumpy wave coming their way. Melody tried to steer out of the way from it but was unsuccessful. Because of the speed her boat was going at, they went up the wave, and soon, the boat was airborne, causing them all to scream.

"Hang on!" Melody yelled as she tried to adjust their boat to soften their landing.

The boat landed rather unceremoniously in the water which caused a jarring motion for everyone on the boat and Togepi to cry. Serena tried to comfort the baby Pokemon but was having trouble collecting her own wits after having a rather frightening experience like that. They were so shaken up that they hadn't noticed a large wave come up right behind them.

"Woooooah!" Melody cried as she felt the boat rise underneath them.

Once they were on top of the wave, the group could actually see that Fire Island was really close, and because of the wave, they were approaching it fast. Melody steadily let off of the accelerator so they wouldn't have such a rough landing. As they got closer, they could see Maren's boat washed onshore already. The fact her boat was here fully confirmed Ash's whereabouts as the only way Maren would be here would be so she could take Ash, too.

The waves rushed forward and threw Melody's boat onto the land, and everyone groaned again at the rather rough landing, but it could've been worse.

Maren rushed out from her boat at the loud noise and gasped when she Melody and Ash's friends in the boat next to them. Upon seeing Maren, Melody grinned sheepishly and waved at the older girl before it became a little more serious.

"Are you guys okay?" Maren inquired of them.

"Yeah. We're fine. Where's Ash?" Melody asked her, getting straight to the point.

"He and Riley have already gone up the steps to retrieve the fire orb," Maren answered.

"Got it. Thanks," Melody replied as she pressed a button

Everyone except Melody gasped as a sail rose up from the ship. They were even more astounded when Melody pulled back on the steering wheel and the ship lifted from the ground. It was flying!

"What the...how does this thing fly?!" Misty cried.

"It only flies if you know how!" Melody replied smartly.

With that, they took off after Ash. Maren was about to call out for them to be careful, but it would ultimately prove futile. The rash group of kids would go after Ash whether she warned them or not. She just hoped they would all be okay. It was already pretty obvious this wasn't just going to be an ordinary fetch quest like it had in the years past. It could very well be the real deal.

* * *

After a few minutes of chasing after Pikachu, Ash and Riley finally reached the top of the stairs. They looked down and could see a cliff with stone pillars at the edge. They appeared to be surrounding some sort of pedestal which clearly had something inside it. Was that the fire orb Ash was supposed to collect? He and Riley watched as Pikachu ran all the way to the orb before it stopped and turned to them expectantly. It was clearly waiting for them to come over, also.

Ash went ahead and hurried after Pikachu while Riley hung back for a short period. He tried to use his aura to get any reading on Moltres, but couldn't find anything. This wasn't even the time where Moltres was supposed to be awake. Before Riley could contemplate it further, he heard a voice speak inside of his mind.

"Master, I cannot sense Moltres' aura anywhere on the island," Lucario reported.

"Neither can I. I still feel its aura somewhere close. I can't pinpoint it, though," Riley replied.

"I will search the rest of the island. I shall let you know if I find anything," the elusive Pokemon said before Riley's connection was shut off again.

Riley gave a nod at that and followed Ash.

Once Ash reached the stone pillars, Pikachu climbed on top of the pedestal and pointed down at a glowing red orb that was inside a small handle. Ash inspected the orb curiously, almost as if he were determining if he should take it or not. Well, at the very least, it appeared to be harmless. Riley soon was next to Ash as he, too, looked at the sphere.

"Well, it looks like you reached the first one," Riley shrugged.

"Yeah," Ash muttered back as he reached out for it. His fingers soon closed around the orb and he gently pulled it out of the opening. Ash wasn't sure if anyone could pull it out if they tried or if he was able to somehow magically pull it out because he was the Chosen One. Regardless, it was still rather cool to do it. Ash temporarily let go of his nervousness and allowed a smile on his face.

"Check it out, Pikachu. The ancient sphere," he told it.

"Pika Pikachuuuuu," Pikachu acknowledged.

"Which island do you think we should head to next?" Ash asked it.

Pikachu perked its ears up as it tried to use it senses. It still felt rather strange about all of the current weather patterns. It had hoped that Ash retrieving the orb would get it to stop, but that changed nothing at all. Maybe he had to get all of them and have the song played?

"Chuuu," Pikachu shrugged.

Ash turned to his uncle to see if he could get some sort of opinion from him. Since Riley had been around this area for a while, perhaps he knew the closest one. Riley, however, seemed to be quite distracted. He had an uneasy look on his face as he had his eyes closed and appeared to be concentrating. It didn't take a genius for Ash to know that Riley was using his aura right now, but what for?

"Uncle Riley?" Ash asked.

Riley opened his eyes and looked at Ash. However, he still had that look of uneasiness on his face. Truthfully, he had just gotten the report back from Lucario that Moltres wasn't anywhere to be found on the island. They would need to inspect the other islands to fully know something was truly wrong, however.

"Nothing, Ash. Let's hurry up and get to the next island. It should be Lightning Island," Riley said before he turned to head back.

Ash nodded as he followed his uncle. As they were running up the stairs, another group of people soon appeared at the top of the stairs. Ash and Riley completely stopped in their tracks once they saw who the group was. It was Serena, Misty, Leaf, Tracey, and Melody. All had worried looks on their faces. Melody skidded the boat to stop a short distance away from Ash and Riley. Serena, Leaf, Misty, and Tracey jumped off the boat while Melody stayed behind. She thought it would be best if his friends did the talking.

Serena herself had a relieved look on her face and placed her hand over her heart. It was true that she was mad at Ash, but that didn't mean she didn't care for his well being. Serena never wanted anything bad happen to Ash and would never get over it if something did. Still, what he did to her the previous night had hurt her too badly. Her relieved look soon turned to one of indifference before she crossed her arms and merely looked at Ash.

"Guys?" Ash questioned in surprise that they had actually followed him here.

Leaf was the first one to rush down the steps until she reached Ash. Once she was there, she placed her hands on her hips and glared at Ash.

"Why did you leave us behind like that, Ash?" Leaf questioned. "We were really worried about you!"

"You mean…you guys still want to stay with me?" Ash wondered, still quite surprised they were all here. He cast a look at Serena who seemed to get an upset look when Ash faced her. Ash quickly averted his eyes as he couldn't bear to see Serena look like that because of him.

"Of course we do! We can't just let you rush into danger by yourself, even if you have Mr. Riley with you! We're supposed to do these things together, whether you're the Chosen One or not!" Leaf said firmly.

"That's right, Ash! Don't say we have to remind you of that again!" Misty shouted as she and Tracey joined Leaf by her side.

"Don't…you guys know what I did?" Ash asked mournfully. "Aren't you mad at me for that?"

It wasn't like Ash wanted to ask that. He just couldn't help himself. At that, everyone put on a melancholy expression. Yes. That proved to Ash they had heard what happened. They quickly glanced behind them to see Serena still standing there with her arms crossed with Melody a few feet behind her. Leaf sighed before she faced Ash again and answered quiet enough to where Serena wouldn't hear

"Yes. We know what's going on between you and Serena, but you should know by now that our friendship with you goes past your personal relationships. While we all think that was a really careless thing to do, we would never abandon you as one of our friends, Ash. We're still with you until the end. Me, Tracey, Misty, and even Serena are worried about you even though she isn't showing it," Leaf told Ash.

"She is?" Ash questioned in surprise.

"Of course she is, Ash. She still likes you. Still, you have no idea how badly she's hurting because of the fight you guys are having. Even so, the only one who can fix this right now is you. Nothing we say can help," Leaf said seriously.

Ash soon felt a hand placed on his shoulder. He turned to find it was his uncle who was giving him a pleasant smile.

"See, Ash? You have a great group of friends. They'll always care about you no matter what," Riley said.

Ash realized then how dumb he had been to think his friends would turn their back on him like that because of a fight he had with Serena. He should know by now that they were all actually his friend first, and that they friendship wasn't based on the status of his and Serena's relationship. Ash pulled his cap down over his eyes as he let a few tears steam down his face.

"Thank you…everyone," he stuttered.

Ash then felt a pair of arms wrap around him in a hug which turned out to be Leaf. Misty and Tracey soon joined in, and Ash accepted the three embraces from Leaf, Misty, and Tracey gratefully. He then looked up at Serena. The girl still had a frown upon her face as she watched Ash. The raven-haired boy knew her better than that, though. He knew that even though she was expressionless, she was really hurting on the inside. His friends then released him from their hug and stood back to allow Ash to go to Serena.

Ash slowly made his way up the steps. He was relieved to find Serena was making no move to run away this time. He did notice that her lip was quivering as he was approaching her. It seemed to take forever as Ash was dragging his feet up the stairs. Truthfully, he was scared of how Serena would react once he got there. He finally did and gave Serena a very tender look. His eyes began to water again as he looked at the girl whom he cared so much for. The girl whom he would do anything for. She was so upset, though, and they were both hurting. Ash couldn't leave things like that. He was going to be the first to speak.

"Serena…I…," he began.

Unfortunately, Ash never got to get any more words out. There was a very loud cry that resounded throughout the area. Everyone turned and gasped at the noise as lightning clouds quickly appeared above them and lightning soon followed. It wasn't normal lightning, either. It wasn't long before the cry sounded again, and now a being was able to be associated with it.

A large yellow bird-like Pokemon appeared that looked to be the embodiment of lightning itself. Large bolts of electricity came from the Pokemon with each flap of its wings. Ash and Serena soon recognized it as the only one of the legendary birds they hadn't met yet. They had seen Articuno and Moltres in Kanto, but they had yet to see this one.

"It's…It's Zapdos," Ash muttered in awe, wondering what it could be doing here.

It soon became clear that Zapdos just wasn't leisurely flying by. It was shooting several Thunderbolts from its wings as it descended upon the island. It soon landed on the pedestal where the fire orb was moments before. It then let out another cry as it shot several more lightning bolts into the sky, as if one were taking authority somewhere. Zapdos then began electrifying the area around it so that it glowed a light blue and crackled with electricity. It was rather frightening to see but strange captivating at the same time.

Riley's eyes flashed blue as he quickly turned on his aura towards Zapdos. This definitely proved something was wrong. There was no way Zapdos would ever appear here on Fire Island under normal circumstances. It should still be on Lightning Island. Why would it have any reason to come here? It wouldn't be to see Moltres, either, as the legendary birds had a connection to where they could always sense the others' location. Zapdos knew Moltres wasn't here.

Ash reluctantly tore his eyes away from Serena as he knew this problem needed to be dealt with first before he could mend his relationship with Serena. He, Serena, and Melody hurried down the steps and joined their friends who were all looking gravely at Zapdos. Ash cast a curious glance at Riley who still had his aura on.

"Uncle Riley?" Ash questioned again.

Riley opened his eyes and got a grim expression his face before he turned to the others.

"There's something I haven't been telling any of you," he said seriously.

At this, the group all looked towards him. Seeing this as he cue to go on, Riley continued.

"This island is supposed to be inhabited by the Moltres of the Orange Islands," Riley started. "However, ever since we've been on this island, I've tried to sense if Moltres was anywhere, but can't find any evidence to say that it is."

"What has that got to do with anything?" Ash asked.

"A lot. This may have something to do with the strange weather patterns that have been going on," Riley replied.

"So the legends are true," Melody stated. "With Moltres not being here on this island, the forces are out of balance. That's why all of our Pokemon have been acting strange."

"Is that true, Pikachu?" Ash asked his rodent partner for confirmation.

"Chu," Pikachu replied in the positive.

"Still, why is Zapdos here of all places?" Misty asked this time.

"That's what I was just trying to figure out," Riley replied. "Apparently, it said that Moltres is no longer here so it claim this island for its own."

"Does it know what happened to Moltres?" Ash asked frantically.

"No. It doesn't," Riley replied gravely.

They soon heard Zapdos cry out again. They turned and saw the bird Pokemon of lightning was no longer directing its attacks at various spots on the island. It was directing them to the sky again and was staring angrily at it for some reason.

It wasn't long before an incredibly massive ship appeared from the clouds. The group gasped in utter astonishment at the sheer size of it. That must have been the biggest ship they've even seen in their lives, both on land on in the sky. They had no idea what this thing was or what it was doing here. All of them except Riley, however, and the man narrowed his eyes at it. He was about to get the answer he was searching for this whole time in the Orange Islands.

"Wha-wha is that thing?!" Misty cried.

"The collector," Riley mumbled, feeling there is no reason to hide it now.

"The what?" Ash asked as he looked at his uncle in surprise. "What do you know about that thing?"

"Do remember that assignment I mentioned to you? The real reason I'm in the Orange Islands? The man I was sent to investigate owns this ship," Riley replied.

"What is he?!" Ash wondered.

"A collector," Riley repeated. "He's owns the largest collection of artifacts in the world, more than any museum. When I finally got to meet with him, nothing of too great importance stuck out to me…except one thing. I couldn't prove anything at the time until I would be able to study the item I picked up. Now, it seems I'm too late."

"Too late for what?!" Ash cried.

Riley didn't answer as the machine continued to lower until the entirety of it was blocking the group's view of the sky. Zapdos continued to stare back defiantly at the ship in front of it. The legendary bird looked as if could sense what was about to happen, like that ship meant there was danger for it. It began panting heavily and shot several bolts of electricity at the ship, but that did nothing too it.

The bottom of the ship soon opened up, and several square-like items flew from them. Riley's eyes widened as he soon recognized these things as the supposed capture device he and Lucario were studying. That no longer proved necessary, however. He was unfortunately about to experience firsthand what these things were capable of doing.

Zapdos gave another angry cry before it took flight and went straight for the strange devices. It began shooting more electricity at them to keep them at bay. It was proving to be futile, however. Every time it would shock one, another would take its place. It wasn't long before it was surrounded by the devices. Zapdos looked around frantically before the devices shot electricity of their own at Zapdos, striking the lightning bird Pokemon and causing it to cry in pain.

"Zapdos!" Ash cried.

"Get down!" Riley shouted as he threw his arms around the rest of the group and pushed them to the ground as a few of the capture devices flew over their heads.

Riley then looked up and got a horrified look on his face when he saw the capture devices quickly close in around Zapdos until there was no opening for it to break free. They then formed a barrier around Zapdos and began to carry it towards the ship. Riley grit his teeth at that. So that's what this psycho had been planning this whole time. He was after the legendary birds to add to his 'collection'.

Despite Zapdos being captured now, it seemed that these devices didn't discriminate against one particular thing. Riley soon found out that the remaining devices were going after them. His eyes glowed blue as he held out his hands and began trying to steer the devices away from him and the others. They were relentless and kept fighting his aura, however.

"Uncle Riley!" Ash cried as he saw what his uncle was doing. The others could only watch in awe.

"Just stay down, Ash!" Riley yelled as he continued to fight against the capture devices.

Ash clenched his teeth at that. He couldn't just let his uncle fight these things by himself. He would never win against them that way. They were now trying to appear behind the group, and Riley would have to direct his attention from one he was currently keeping away to take care of that one. He couldn't do that forever.

Ash didn't care if his aura powers weren't ready yet. He knew that they always showed up in times of crisis, and this was definitely a crisis. If he wanted them badly enough, surely they would show up now in his time of need. He knew his uncle and dad discouraged him from doing this, but what other choice did he have?! He was the Chosen One! He had to do something!

"Ash! What are you doing?!" Leaf screamed as she saw Ash stand up and throw his arms out in front of him, mimicking his uncle's motions.

"Don't Ash! Your aura powers aren't awakened to use at your command yet!" Riley scolded.

Ash didn't listen, however. He continued to concentrate as hard as he could, trying to find that same power deep in his soul that had helped him so much in the past. He began to sweat as he began to mentally searched as hard as he could but found nothing. This was so strange. Why were they not showing up now when he needed him, too? What was going on?

"Look out!" Riley warned.

Ash turned around just in time to see a capture device flying right towards him. He readjusted his position and pointed his hands towards the coming object in a desperate attempt that his aura powers would awaken so he could help his uncle and protect his friends. However, nothing happened. The device was coming closer and closer, and Ash's determined look soon turned terrified as he realized his aura powers weren't coming to his rescue this time.

The raven-haired boy soon found himself pushed to the ground once again as his uncle shoved him from behind. Ash grunted in pain when his stomach hit, but he quickly shook it off and turned to see his uncle was now fighting the capture device that had been so close to taking him. Unfortunately, that meant the one that Riley had been previously working on keeping away now had its chance to sneak up on him.

The group watched in horror as the device shot out the same strange lightning that had shocked Zapdos and struck Riley from behind. The man gave a yell of pain and turned to focus his aura on the one that had just struck him. However, the capture devices now had the opening they needed now that Riley had a moment's hesitation after being hit.

Several more devices surrounded them. Riley looked around and tried his best to focus on all of them now, but that did nothing. They all soon began shooting at Riley. The aura user was engulfed in the electrical shocks as he tried his best to maintain his aura, but it was getting weaker and weaker with each strike. The man was struggling to stay conscious as the electrical shocks began to take their toll on him. It soon proved too much for him, and the aura user passed out.

"No!" Ash screamed as Riley collapsed onto the ground in a heap.

Now free from their obstruction, the capture devices relented their electrical shocks and closed in around the group and the unconscious Riley. A barrier formed from the devices and lifted them all into the air and began to carry them towards the enormous ship in the sky. They even captured Melody's boat and lifted it away, too. Everyone yelling as they began struggling in vain to break free, but the capture devices held on tight. They all looked on in horror as the ground of the island was getting further and further away.

Ash was unresponsive as he simply knelt on his hands and knees inside the device. He was only trying to help his uncle when he was in trouble. Why had his aura powers not activated? Was his father and uncle right when they told him to not rely on his aura powers yet to get him out of every situation, that he wasn't ready yet?

Ash shut his eyes at the thought. If he hadn't arrogantly thought his aura powers would come in their time of need, his uncle wouldn't have been distracted trying to keep him safe. If that hadn't happened, Riley might have been able to fend them all off. He was doing quite well, but Ash knew that because of him, Riley was now unconscious when he took his eyes off the devices for one second to push Ash out of the way of one. Now, his uncle was knocked out, and they were being taken to who knows where inside the ship. Ash didn't like it, but they were captured because of him!

Why couldn't he get anything right!? First, he had hurt his relationship with Serena, and now he and all of his friends were captured. If he hadn't rushed off so early in the morning without his friends because he was afraid of their response to his fight with Serena, they would've avoided this situation. Why was everything going so wrong for him now?! It was his fault that this had happened…again.

The cage was soon inside the ship, and the opening closed behind them.

* * *

 **Wow. Let's just kick Ash even further while he's down. It happens just when it seemed things were trying to look up for him, too. I guess I just enjoy torturing the poor boy right now. Hopefully, things will start looking up for him soon. Whether I'm actually trying to break him or not, you will have to see.**

 **I'm thinking about posting the next chapter a little earlier than January 20 because I'm almost done with the Orange Islands arc. It depends on how fast I get done with my remaining chapters I only have three chapters left to write so I'll be done soon. I won't say when exactly because I'm never good with meeting deadlines. I thought I would be finished writing the Orange Islands arc by the end of 2015, and apparently I didn't because it ended up being longer than I thought. You can, however, check the status of my chapters in my profile.**

 **See you all next time! Thanks for all the reviews and support!**

 **Chapter 18: The Power of One: Part Two**

 **Answering the Questions:**

 _Is the fight last chapter the big falling out you were planning?  
_

 ** _Oh no. Not even close. That...was rather benign compared to what I have planned. Hehehehehe..._**

 _Will Pikachu ever willingly go into its Poké Ball in an emergency?_

 ** _I don't know yet. It may serve as good growth for Pikachu, though. It's funny you should mention that, though. Something similar to this is addressed in the next chapter._**

 _Will there ever be any characters that try to seduce Serena?_

 ** _Yes, but not yet._**

 _Will anyone in the group ever have to deal with a disobedient Pokémon?_

 ** _Well, Serena initially had trouble with Jigglypuff. She is currently having trouble with Poliwag._**

 _Is Yellow married?  
_

 ** _Nope! She's single...as of now._**

 _Will Gary's mother or Leaf's father ever appear?  
_

 ** _I think I mentioned a while back that Gary's mother had already died. If not...well she is. Leaf's father exists but is an unseen character. I only mentioned him once in Chapter 3 of the Kanto arc._**

 _Will Ash's Charizard appear in the Power of One arc?  
_

 _ **Yes.**_

 _What was writing the fight like for you?  
_

 ** _I'm evil, I guess. It was oddly...entertaining. I even kicked Ash further in this chapter. I guess I just have to torture our beloved heroes sometimes. Hence why I broke Ash when he first found out his mother helped create Team Rocket. Serena...and even Leaf (Huh?!) will have torturing in the future, I assure you. Gary, I've already tortured a little. He's going to recover. I'd say Serena and Leaf will get the worst out of everyone in the future, but their situations are separate...and quite a long way off. Well, shoot! I've revealed too much it seems. Well, you guys will have something to chew on for a little while. Eh...well, fear not. These characters still have lots and lots of happy times for them as past chapters prove. If I write too much angst, even I will become depressed.  
_**

 _Now is a good time for a plot twist where Ash and Leaf date!_

 ** _Hahahaha no they won't date. They are too much like siblings to do that. If they do have a tiny crush on each other, it is overshadowed by other things._**

 _Will Alain make his debut soon?  
_

 ** _No. Not anytime soon, but he will appear eventually._**

 _Do you still have plans for Anabel to have a crush on Ash?  
_

 ** _Maybe._**

 _Could you please reconsider your current plans of Ash simply getting only Pokémon he gets in canon for the most part?_

 ** _I gave Ash some noncanon Pokemon in Kanto. I don't want to give Ash too many noncanon Pokemon, though, otherwise I won't have time for all of them or be able to flesh out their personalities._**

 _Will there be intergroup training among them like with Ash's Aipom and Dawn's Buizel?_

 ** _It is definitely a possibility._**


	18. The Power of One: Part Two

**A/N: Well, I got the chapter out a couple of days before the 20th. Please enjoy the next installment to the Power of One arc.**

 **Important author's note is at the bottom, please read when you're finished with the chapter. It has needed to be said for a long time now.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 18: The Power of One: Part Two

Lawrence III was looking quite pleased with himself. He eagerly watched as a computer model showed his capture before it was placed in his collection room, nice and secure. He had just captured the second of the legendary bird trio in Zapdos. With Moltres already in his possession, only one remained. If he was lucky, he wouldn't even have to look for it. The icy bird would be drawn out by its brethren in trouble.

"Ah, only one left," Lawrence III said to himself as he watched the two legendary birds struggle on a monitor. "Fear not. Articuno will be with you shortly. Then…the real fun will begin."

His collection was finally reaching his peak. It had been Lawrence III's goal his entire life to make a collection like no other. With the rate he was going at, he would certainly reach it. Not everybody could say they had the legendary bird trio in their possession. One especially couldn't say they had what Lawrence III was truly after and soon to have…Lugia. Lawrence III grinned at the thought until an alert reached his ears.

"Code Blue Three! When capturing Zapdos, we managed to catch something more!" the computer said.

"Something more?" Lawrence III questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. Shall we dispose of them?" the computer asked in monotone.

"No. No. I shall see what it is first," Lawrence III answered as he pressed a button so the computer wouldn't alert him of the offense again for the time being.

* * *

The group was now in Lawrence III's collection room, but they were still locked in the cage. At least it wasn't trying to shock them anymore. Despite their situation, they couldn't help but look around in awe at everything around them. They couldn't believe anyone in the world could have this much stuff. It was quite amazing. However, all of their awe disintegrated when they saw who was with them in the room.

Moltres and Zapdos were struggling immensely to break free of their bondage. Their efforts were proving futile, however. If anything, it appeared the more they struggled, the harder their bonds became to break. No doubt that the two would wear themselves out at this rate. With everything that was going on, only one question was going through everyone's mind: what do they do now?

"This is crazy! How on Earth did we get caught up in all of this, too?!" Misty yelled as she grabbed her hair in frustration.

"Misty, calm down. We'll find a way out of this," Tracy said as he motioned with this hands to get Misty's voice down.

"What do you think we should do then, Tracey!?" Misty retorted. "In case you haven't forgotten, we're locked in a cage on a ship that's high in the air! Not to mention that Mr. Riley is knocked out because he was trying to protect us!"

"Well…," Tracey tried, but Misty cut him off.

"If Ash hadn't run off by himself and then tried to be Mr. Hotshot by wanting to use his aura powers, we wouldn't be in this!" Misty finished.

Ash grimaced at Misty's sentence. Those words had really stung. He hated to admit it, but she was right. Tracey didn't have a response to Misty's accusation, and that said it all. Though they probably didn't agree with her choice of words, Ash knew they were all thinking along the same lines as her and believed they were only in this because of Ash. Even though he took very slight solace in their words earlier, that didn't mean they weren't above getting mad at him in this situation.

The raven-haired boy hadn't said anything so far. He had his back turned to everyone, refusing to look them in the eye. It unknowingly was only making Ash look even guiltier than he already felt, but he couldn't help himself. He felt like a total idiot right now. Now he was worried that if his friends weren't mad at him before, they were now, and Serena was probably even angrier with him. Truthfully, Ash just wanted to disappear right now, and then he could just leave everything to Riley.

Speaking of his uncle, he was still unconscious. Serena was knelt down and had his head in her lap as she gently tried to awaken him. The man had a few burns on him from where the electric shocks had continuously gotten him. He didn't appear to be in too bad of shape, but it probably wouldn't hurt to get him to a doctor if he wasn't able to heal his wounds on his own.

Riley soon let a moan as he was coming around. Everyone in the cage instantly turned towards him to make sure he was okay when he made the noise. Riley's eyes soon fluttered open before he sleepily looked around. Upon seeing the situation they were in, Riley instantly put on a serious expression and jumped to his feet, startling Serena. It didn't take a genius for him to figure out they had been captured.

"What's the situation?" Riley asked to no one in particular.

"We were sucked into this collector person's ship. I think that's what you called him," Leaf answered.

"Hmmm…," Riley uttered gravely as he turned towards his nephew.

Riley wanted to ask what Ash was thinking when he blindly decided to use his aura like that. He wanted to scold him and say that he couldn't just call upon his aura whenever he felt like it yet. He knew Ash wasn't even close to that stage yet. However, when he saw the state his nephew was in, Riley had second thoughts. Ash looked pretty pitiful right now. His back had been turned the whole time, and the only time he had faced anyone else in the cage was when Riley had first awoken. Riley wasn't about to kick Ash while he was down. Besides, it looks like Ash had already figured most of that out himself. He didn't need to be told twice. Instead, Riley focused on the others.

"Do you think you can break us out of here with your aura?" Leaf asked hopefully.

Riley shook his head. "Unfortunately not. These devices are made out of a special material that makes aura useless. The collector must have built them with that purpose in mind to prevent communication between the legendary birds," he replied.

"This guy is after Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres!? That's crazy!" Tracey exclaimed.

"I can't think of any other thing he's doing. I just wished I wasn't too late," Riley berated himself.

"Hey, what's this?" Leaf asked as she pointed to what appeared to be writing in an ancient language outside their cage.

"I can translate it," Melody jumped in as she went over to the cage's end and squinted to get a better look. "Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice, and lightning. Lest these titans wreak destruction in the world in which they clash."

"He had read something similar to me when I visited here for the first time," Riley mentioned, referring to Lawrence III.

"What does it all mean?" Serena asked.

"It must be referring to Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres," Riley answered.

"So all of this strange weather we've been having is because of this psycho collector guy wanting to capture them?! Where is he so I can give him a good earful!?" Misty cried.

"Misty…," Serena trailed tiredly.

The group was soon distracted by a noise coming from above them. An opening came from beneath the ceiling as a large chair descended from it. The chair continued to lower itself until it reached the ground. Once it did, the group, except Ash, all glared at him. They all knew he must be the collector with the exception of Riley since he had met him once before. Despite the looks he was getting, Lawrence III smiled at them.

"Well, this certainly is a pleasure. Although I must admit it is an unexpected one," he said.

"Yeah. Thanks to your stupid capture devices," Misty spat.

"I apologize for that. It seems my machines are so focused on capturing for me that they don't discriminate about what they capture as long as it's alive," the collector apologized.

"So we meet again," Riley muttered

"Oh? Riley? Come to see my collection again, have you? I can't say I blame you. It is rather magnificent," Lawrence III said arrogantly.

"Will you let us out of here?" Riley asked with a sigh.

"Oh. Yes, of course," Lawrence III replied as he pressed a button that was beside his chair.

The cage rose several feet off of the ground and simply hovered there for a moment. Everyone in the cage then let out a surprised gasp as the floor opened up underneath them and dumped them out. They all fell rather ungracefully on the floor below in a heap. All of them were groaning in pain at the unexpected fall.

"Gee, thanks," Misty muttered sarcastically as she and the others rubbed their sore behinds.

The collector seemed to ignore her comment and spread his arms out wide. "Allow me to introduce myself for those of you who don't know me. I am Lawrence III, and I am the best collector in the entire universe! Take a look at everything I own!"

"Someone has an ego problem," Leaf whispered to Serena.

"Speaking of my collection, what do you think of my latest acquirement? Moltres, the Bird of Fire, and Zapdos, the Bird of Lightning. Of course, without Articuno, it isn't a complete set," Lawrence III added the last part with a light chuckle.

"Pokemon aren't to be used for just some collection! That's a horrible thing to say! What kind of trainer would ever say that?!" Ash yelled, which caused the others to look at him since it had been a while since he spoke.

"As I told you, I'm not a trainer, young man. I am a collector. It all began with a single Mew card before evolving into what it is now," Lawrence III replied.

"It doesn't matter what you are. You can't just use Pokemon as things to collect like stamps or trading cards," Serena retorted hotly.

"Why Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, though?" Riley asked this time with narrowed eyes.

"Legendary Pokemon have always been my passion. Soon, my collection itself will be legendary. Then, I shall draw out the real prize," the collector smirked.

"Which is?" Riley pressed.

"Why don't we talk this over in a nice meal? I'm sure we can settle our differences like civilized adults," Lawrence III suggested instead.

"You've got to be kidding me! Why should we…," Ash began, but Riley held out a hand to stop him.

"Hold on, Ash. Let's take him up on his offer. We may be able to learn what is he's really trying to do as well as why," Riley said. Even though the collector was standing right there, he didn't appear to mind Riley's words.

"Mr. Riley's right, Ash. Let's hear what this guy has to say," Tracey said.

"Fine," Ash mumbled.

"Excellent. Please follow me," Lawrence III commanded as he turned to leave the room.

The group cast a worried look at Zapdos and Moltres still struggling in their cages. The Pokemon looked absolutely trapped and miserable in those cages. There was no way someone would ever be able to justify doing what this man was doing. No matter what, they would find some way to free them.

* * *

The group was rather surprised when they entered the collector's supposed banquet hall. It was quite large and had a long table. They couldn't help but think this was rather odd due to Lawrence III apparently living by himself and rarely receiving visitors. Was this just to show how successful he thought he was? Furthermore, who was the one who cooked all of the food that was on the table? The group wasn't sure, but all of that was beside the point.

Lawrence III took the head of the table, naturally, while Riley took the seat closest to him with Ash on the other side and Serena next to him. Ash looked rather uncomfortable sitting next to Serena while the honey blonde girl looked indifferent. Leaf sat next to Serena while Tracey and Misty sat next to Riley, and Melody sat next to Leaf. Lawrence III and Riley were the first ones who began to eat while the younger group looked a little more hesitant to try the food. Should they be taking food from an enemy? Well, technically, the collector didn't seem evil so there was a zero percent chance it was poisoned, but still.

"Please dig in. You don't need to wait for my approval," Lawrence III urged as he took another small bite of his food. He seemed to have a rather reserved way of eating and preferred to take small bites and savor the taste. That was a rather stark contrast from Riley and a bigger contrast from Ash.

At Riley's nod that it was better for them to accept the food, the rest of the group nodded and began to eat, too. Ash picked up a plate of rolls and held them out in front of Serena.

"Hey, Serena. Would you like a roll?" Ash asked and attempted a kind smile.

"No thank you, Ash," Serena replied shortly without looking at him. Ash's face fell at that. Even though he knew she was upset with him, it still hurt for her to be so cold to him.

"Oh my. Trouble in paradise?" Lawrence III inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"None of your business," Serena huffed.

"Hmmhmm. You're right. It isn't," Lawrence III chuckled lightly before he folded his hands and rested his head on them. "Now then, would you please explain to me what it is that I'm doing wrong?"

"It's wrong to keep Pokemon in cages and trap them like that," Ash replied immediately. With the shake of Riley's head, Ash gave an inquisitive look. What did he say wrong?

"Oh really? Trapping Pokemon in cages is wrong? I could turn around and ask you the same thing, young man, as well as the rest of you trainers," Lawrence III smirked.

"What do you mean?" Ash wondered in confusion. "We don't trap our Pokemon in cages."

"Then what do you call those pokeballs you use? Do you not keep Pokemon locked in there, only to come out when you see fit?" Lawrence III replied smartly.

The group was caught off guard at that statement. The all took a quick glance at their pokeballs before back at Lawrence III. They had never questioned or thought about the morality of their pokeballs before. Upon seeing the looks on their faces, Lawrence III's smirk grew wider.

"Our Pokemon don't mind being in pokeballs," Ash tried to defend.

"They don't? Then answer me. Why is your Pikachu not in a pokeball?" Lawrence III questioned as he gestured to the yellow rodent who was licking at ketchup.

Upon hearing its name, Pikachu perked its ears up and looked at Ash. It gave a worrisome look at Ash that it had heard the word 'Pikachu' and 'pokeball' in the same sentence. Ash stared at his rodent partner and looked away guiltily. He knew the answer to that. Unfortunately, it was the exact response that Lawrence III wanted to hear.

"My Pikachu is afraid of being inside pokeballs. That's why I keep it outside of one," Ash mumbled lamely.

The collector smiled triumphantly at that. "You see? Maybe your Pokemon do actually mind being in pokeballs. However, you lock them away just because it's merely convenient for you. Yet, you criticize me for trapping Pokemon in cages. What we do is the exact…same…thing."

"N-no it's not!" Ash yelled, though he stuttered. It almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself than Lawrence III.

"Yes. It is," Lawrence III rebutted.

"Let's move away from the subject of pokeballs and cages," Riley jumped in this time to come to the rescue. He already knew that there was no way Lawrence III would be convinced if they used the trapped and collections excuse. They needed a different strategy.

"Heh," Lawrence III grunted but let it drop. He knew he was victorious on that one.

Ash stared down at the ground in defeat. Once again, he felt all eyes boring into him. He was trying now to defend that keeping Pokemon in cages was wrong. Now that Lawrence III challenged him on that with his Pikachu as the perfect example, Ash felt like a total hypocrite. Just add that to another list of his failures recently. He felt so pitiful.

Serena couldn't help but frown at this. It was so unlike Ash to give up on something he believed in like this. If he were his normal self, he would probably be fighting with everything he had in defense for himself and his friends on what the collector was doing rather than give up like this. She wanted to encourage him, but there was still that side of her that couldn't bring herself to say anything to him. She was so conflicted right now. She was still loved Ash, but she was just so angry at him, and the worst part was he hadn't even tried to amend himself since last night. He even ran away from them to do this quest on his own. Thus, Serena turned away from him.

Togepi looked back and forth between its mommy and daddy. It didn't quite understand the concept of fighting, but it knew that they weren't acting the way they usually did around each other. It liked it when they were together and hated whatever they were doing right now. It made Togepi quite upset.

"You know, you're really messing up the harmony of the world by doing this. Have you even taken a look outside? It's even began snowing heavily. It never snows here!" Riley spoke up. "If you don't stop this, we will be forced to take action."

"I knew it. You are with the police, aren't you?" Lawrence III figured.

"Yes. It's more than that, though. You read the prophecy yourself. You must not disturb the harmony of fire, ice, and lightning," Riley spoke.

"Yes. That is an unfortunate side effect. I'm sure the destroying the world part isn't true, though," the collector shrugged. "Let me let you in on a little secret. As I said before, Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos are not what I'm truly after. Capturing them only draws out the real prize…Lugia."

"Lugia?" everyone collectively asked.

"Exactly," Lawrence III grinned as he finally began to show his unstable side. "You see, by owning the legendary bird trio and the beast of the sea, I will finally have the ultimate collection that no one shall ever surpass, either before or after. No one will be my equal."

"You're crazy," Leaf said in disdain.

"Well, I think we've heard enough," Riley stated as he slammed his hands down on the table. He then addressed the others. "Come on. We're leaving."

"Heh. Going to get the police, are you? Just what do they hope to do when I have two…and soon three of the legendary birds at my disposal? They might cause more than a little disturbance," Lawrence III replied.

Riley sighed at that and clenched his fists. He was really wanting to use his aura right now to subdue this man and bring him to justice. However, he did have a valid point. If he tried in any way to harm Lawrence III, all the man would have to do is say word, and chaos would be released. If only he had gotten to this man before he had captured anything and found proof to incriminate him. Now, it would appear too late. For now, he had to think of a way to set Moltres and Zapdos free. Once they were, everything else would follow. He and everyone else were then alerted as a computer voice rang throughout the area.

"Sensors indicate that Articuno is nearby," the voice sounded.

"Articuno," Serena mumbled, remembering her own first encounter with one, though she realized this one probably was a different Articuno.

"Ah. The last one, and now you'll have to excuse me. Please feel free to stick around and enjoy the show," Lawrence III said as he stood up from his chair and left his plate of finished food behind. He then sat on another chair nearby which rose up into the ceiling into parts unknown.

Ash still had his head down as he thought about the pokeballs. Though they couldn't really compare to keeping Moltres and Zapdos locked in a cage, when one thought about it, they were pretty similar. Did he ever once stop to think about how his Pokemon felt about the pokeball? Was it even right to carry them around? Should he just break all of his pokeballs and let his Pokemon travel on foot now? His friends seemed to be thinking along the same lines as they were all looking at their own pokeballs. Upon seeing their looks, Riley gave them all a comforting smile.

"Don't let what Lawrence III said get to you. The pokeballs you use aren't cruel forms of confinement," he told them.

"Then what are they?" Leaf asked sadly.

"When a Pokemon is inside of a pokeball, it isn't being confined like something in a cage like Moltres and Zapdos are. It's in 'suspended state', if you will, and it's still conscious of everything around it. They aren't being squished or cruelly restrained," Riley explained.

"Well…," Ash began, but Riley interrupted him.

"In reality, Pokemon can come out of their pokeballs any time they want to. Think about it," Riley told them.

"Heheheh. My Psyduck likes to pop out randomly," Misty smiled.

"Yeah. My Pokemon came out that night Serena and I spent in the snow cave," Ash recalled.

Serena blushed at the memory, but quickly hid it. That was the night she began to give Ash the idea of how she truly felt for him…how she truly still feels about him. It was such a scary memory, but it was beautiful at the same time. Serena felt so conflicted at the moment. A part of her wanted to be mad at him, but the other half wanted to give him a big hug and reassure him they were okay.

"Exactly. I really wouldn't call it a confinement. If anything, I would call a pokeball a safe haven for Pokemon," Riley elaborated.

"A safe haven," Ash echoed.

"That's right. They can stay away from the dangers of battling like that and can safely travel around with their trainer," Riley said.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu piped up as it pointed at Ash's pokeballs.

Ash, as well as the others, looked down at their pokeballs and saw them wiggling. They were reacting in response to Riley's words. By the way Pikachu was smiling, it seemed like they agreed with him. He was right. If their Pokemon thought of their pokeballs as confinement, they would certainly let their trainers know and not love them like they did. Despite Lawrence III's words, it proved he actually knew very little about Pokemon, and it showed they had a lot to learn about them, also.

"Hey. I guess you're right," Tracey said.

"It's not a cage at all. It's their safe haven," Leaf added in relief.

"Thanks, Uncle Riley," Ash said gratefully. He then turned to Pikachu and his pokeballs containing Bulbasaur, Wartortle, Dragonair, Charizard, and Primeape. "Thank you to all of you, too, guys."

"Now you know what we have to do, right?" Riley asked them.

"Yeah. We're going to free Zapdos and Moltres," Ash replied, regaining his determination.

"Exactly! Let's go," Riley called as they took off down the corridor.

"I still don't really understand all of this. What do Moltres and Articuno have to do with the weather patterns right now?" Misty wondered.

"There's dispute about this, but most scientists believe that the waters around Shamouti Island, and specifically Fire and Ice Islands are the source of all waters around the world. If there is a disturbance or imbalance of power like from the Island of Lightning for instance, underwater currents can form and spread out to other parts of the planet. Soon, the entire weather patterns are changed," Riley explained.

"How does all of this draw out Lugia, though?" Leaf asked.

"The underwater currents are going to churn it. It could emerge and ultimately flood the entire planet," Riley muttered gravely.

"And this crazy collector guy doesn't even care about any of this stuff?!" Misty exclaimed.

"No. His problem is he's so shortsighted that he doesn't understand what the long term effects could be as evidenced by our discussion with him just now. Since he won't listen, we have to take matters into our own hands," Riley replied.

"So do you think the legend is coming true? Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice, or lightning lest these titans wreak destruction on the world of which they clash?" Melody asked this time.

Riley sighed. "It just might be."

"Then we've got to stop this before anything worse happens," Ash figured as they entered the room where Zapdos and Moltres were.

* * *

As the group was speaking, a large figure beneath the waves was blasting through the currents as fast as it could. It had felt the disturbances in the weather for a while now. While it was hoping that these currents would subside, they had only gotten worse. Something horrible would need to be going if it caused an imbalance like this, and this figure was going to find out what it was.

* * *

"So how are we going to set them free?" Serena asked as she and the others watched the two legendary birds. They were no longer struggling and instead seemed to roost in sad resignation. It was quite unusual to see a legendary Pokemon in this state.

"Lawrence III said these cages were strong, but I don't think they're invincible. I'm sure if our Pokemon attack them together that we can manage to break through," Riley suggested.

"I agree. Let's do it. Come on out, guys!" Ash yelled as he and the others released all of their Pokemon. One half went to attack Zapdos' cage while the other half worked on Moltres' cage.

Upon seeing the group attack their cage, Zapdos and Moltres stared curiously at the humans and Pokemon with them. It didn't appear they had any emotion like they were joyful or upset with what they were doing. Everyone pressed on, however, and continued to attack the cages. It didn't look like the attacks were doing anything, though.

"We've got to keep going," Ash encouraged as the Pokemon continue to attack.

Riley continued to watch gravely as he felt rather helpless at the moment. His aura had already proved useless against these things, and Lucario was left back on Fire Island when they were taken. It felt rather weird for Riley to be separated from his partner this way. Despite this, as Riley watched Zapdos' and Moltres' unreadable expressions, Riley decided to see if he could communicate with them. If he could do this, he might be able to figure out what was going on and how they planned to rectify the situation. Riley then closed his eyes to read the minds of Moltres and Zapdos. Upon attempting to communicate, Riley instantly snapped his eyes open in fright. There was something very wrong. All he sensed was…hostility.

"Wait! Stop!" he tried to yell out to the rest of the group, but it was too late.

There was an explosion as the cages finally gave way to the force of all the attacks. The group was blown away several feet by the blasts and landed on the ground painfully. Riley was the first to get up as he stood in front of the group and tried to prepare his aura for what was coming.

"Uncle Riley?" Ash questioned.

"We need to get of here. Now," Riley uttered.

"Why?" Serena asked until they were all interrupted by an earsplitting screech which forced them to cover their ears.

The screech was caused by Moltres as it stomped out of its prison and glared at Zapdos. In return, the lightning bird glared back. Moltres then charged up a Flamethrower and shot it directly at Zapdos. The group watched in horror as Zapdos was struck before it shot a Thunderbolt out which struck Moltres.

"Wh-why are they attacking each other?!" Leaf cried as everyone backed away from them.

"They've been enraged by the situation," Riley muttered.

Moltres then shot a Flamethrower at the wall of the ship and blasted a gaping hole open. It then took flight and flew out the hole. Zapdos let a cry before it blasted a hole of its own with Thunderbolt and flew out . Now with more open space, the two legendary birds began a war with each other around the enormous ship. Unfortunately, some of the attacks appeared to be hitting the ship which would cause a shaking each time.

"Okay, let's use our Pokemon to fly us out of here," Riley suggested.

"We don't have nearly enough Pokemon to get us all off, though!" Misty exclaimed.

"Lightning Island is nearby. Serena and Ash both have their Charizard with them. Serena also has her Fearow, and there are seven of us. They'll be able to hold two at the most while Fearow can hold one. That means two of us will have to stay behind. I'll be the last to go," Riley told them.

"I'll stay, too," Ash said firmly.

"Ash! You can't just volunteer yourself like that! It's too dangerous!" Leaf yelled at him.

"I don't care! All of this is my fault anyway! I at least want to make sure all of you are safe before I am!" Ash yelled back.

"But…," Misty began, but Ash cut her off.

"We don't have time to argue! Just get out of here! Uncle Riley and I won't be too far behind," Ash told her.

Ash's friends stared at him for only the briefest moments. Even if he was saying they were in here because of him, he still shouldn't put himself in danger like this. If something were to go wrong, Riley would have his aura, but would he be able to save Ash, too, with it? Still, they realized he was right. Someone would have to stay even if they didn't like it. They gave a sight of resignation.

"You better be telling the truth, Ash! Don't you dare get hurt before paying me back for my bike!" Misty yelled as she got on his Charizard. Ash couldn't help but chuckle that she would use that as an excuse to see him again.

"Just stay safe, Ash," Leaf told him as she gave him a hug before opting to get on Serena's Fearow. The previously hostile Pokemon looked uncomfortable for only a moment before putting on a look of resolution.

"Good luck, Ash. You too, Mr. Riley," Tracey said as he got on Ash's Charizard afterward.

"We all want you to come back safely," Melody said as she got on Charla's back.

Serena said nothing as she and Togepi joined Melody on Charla's back. She didn't even look in his direction. Ash hung his head as he resisted the urge to fight back tears. Did Serena still even care if he was going to be alright? Her coldness was really starting to take its toll on him. His head then snapped in her direction when he heard her voice.

"Ash…please be careful. Remember what I said," she muttered.

Ash looked in surprise that she had actually spoken to him. Melody and Leaf both smiled at Serena before looking back at Ash. The raven-haired boy wiped his eyes as it showed that Serena still cared for him despite the fight they had. He wanted to run and give her a huge hug and apologize and tell her how much she meant to him. If only it was the time.

"I promise, Serena. We will," he responded.

That was when another rumble jolted the massive ship. Everyone then began to lose their balance as the ship tilted to the right and began losing altitude. The group then looked horror struck once they realized one of the Zapdos' or Moltres' attacks must have hit one of the giant copters that was keeping the ship in the air, perhaps more than one. Charizard and Charla gave a hesitant look back at Ash and Riley as if trying to decide how to bring them along, too.

"Go! Now!" Riley hollered.

The group and Pokemon wanted to argue, but they reluctantly flew off and out of the slowly falling ship. The Pokemon were flying as fast as they could towards the nearby Lightning Island so they could drop off their current passengers and fly back to rescue the others until they were too late.

As they were flying, all of their eyes widened as they saw Zapdos and Moltres were flying around the ship and were shooting many attacks at each other, not caring who or what they hit in the process. That's when they heard another cry and turned to the right, and their eyes widened still. It was Articuno…the last of the legendary bird trio. It had come for the fight, also. It launched an Ice Beam at the two opposing birds. The two others sensed it was coming and flew out of the way. Unfortunately, this caused the Ice Beam to hit another of the copters which only made the ship wobble even more and lose altitude faster.

"Oh no! Ash! Mr. Riley!" Leaf called out.

The rest of the group looked on in determination as the Pokemon were trying their hardest to get to the island in time. If the ship kept being destroyed at the rate it was going, there was a chance they wouldn't make it. Just the thought of that made all of their hearts, especially Serena's, wrench. Her anger at the moment didn't matter. She just hoped that Ash would be okay. Please.

Meanwhile, Riley was holding onto Ash as tightly as he could while using his aura to keep them balanced. Things were looking quite grim at the moment. The ship was becoming more unstable by the second, and who knows how much more damage kept being done to it. Riley hated to say it, but they may not have time to get off the ship before it crashed.

"Ash, we need to find an exit and fast!" Riley urged as he took Ash by the arm and began to pull the raven-haired boy along with him.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lawrence III was seated in his chair as he observed the legendary birds now battling each other. For the first time in while, he had a look of worry on his face. It was true that if the three were battling like this that Lugia would surely show itself, but it would be at the cost of his collection. He couldn't let that happen. Lawrence III pressed the button to release the capture devices once again but put on a look of confusion when nothing happened. Did they happen to destroy the port while they were battling?

"Mayday! Mayday! Crash landing is imminent!" the computer's voice sounded throughout the ship.

"No. This cannot be," Lawrence III said to himself as he clenched his teeth. How could his ultimate desire be going so horribly wrong?!

* * *

Luckily, since Riley had been on this ship once before, he had made a mental note of where the exit was. He and Ash were making a mad dash to the entrance hall while the mayday cries were going off around them. Almost every few seconds, the ship would jolt which signified another part had been hit by one of the legendary birds' attacks.

The two soon reached the entrance room and saw the large sliding door to signify the exit. While they were still high in the air, maybe there was some sort of safety device that would allow them to exit in case an emergency ever happened. Riley pressed the button to open the door, and it slid open to reveal smoke around them. Great. The ship had apparently caught fire. Ash and Riley took a quick look around to see any signs of the Charizard but found nothing. They would have to improvise. Riley pressed another button, and the entrance path slid out of the ship and into thin air, where it dangled and flapped against the air.

"Come on, Ash!" Riley said as he slowly went out onto the pathway, being careful not to fall.

Ash reluctantly followed, being very careful himself, with Pikachu on his shoulder. Once he and Riley made it halfway out, they took a peak over the edge and saw the ocean far down below them. The three legendary birds were thankfully not in vicinity at the moment and were battling on the other side of the ship.

"Which of your Pokemon is the strongest swimmer?" Riley asked him.

"Uh…swimmer?" Ash asked him. "That would probably be Lapras, but it's at Professor Oak's lab right now so it could take a break from carrying us around. Right now, the only other Pokemon I have with me that can swim are Wartortle or Dragonair."

"Dragonair will have to do. Get out your pokeball," Riley said.

"Wait! Are we actually going to…," Ash began.

"Jump? Yes," Riley answered for him.

Ash cast a worried glance downward. Yeah. That was a long way down and much too many things could wrong. Upon seeing his look, Riley reassured him.

"Don't worry. I'll use my aura to steady our jump. We'll be fine," he told Ash.

"Alright then," Ash agreed, but he was still being the reluctant one for a change. "Go, Dragonair!"

The dragon Pokemon appeared and assessed its surroundings. Upon discovering they were on the edge of a platform, it got a fearful look on its face. It appeared that even upon evolving, it still retained much of its timid nature. It then looked at Ash as if inquiring what on Earth he was planning right now.

"Dragonair, we're in danger right now so I'm going to need to ask you to help us out. I know it's scary, but we'll need you to jump from here into the ocean," Ash told it.

Dragonair gave him a surprised look at that before looking back down at the ocean far below it. The dragon Pokemon then appeared to give Ash and Riley almost a pleading look.

"It'll be okay, Dragonair. We have Riley with us, and he's going to use his aura to help," Ash reassured gently. Despite the danger, he didn't want to sound urgent or it might upset Dragonair

Dragonair still looked quite nervous at the suggestion. It had never attempted a leap like that into the ocean before. Even so, its trainer did say that everything would be fine and that he would make sure it was okay. Taking a quick glance, Dragonair knew the situation was urgent. Besides, Ash wouldn't ask something like this unless it was important anyway. Dragonair gave a short nod before it turned around to allow Ash and Riley to get on.

"Thanks, Dragonair!" Ash told it as he and Riley got on and held tightly.

Dragonair was just about to jump when the legendary bird trio returned. They were still fighting relentlessly and were shooting various attacks at each other. Some were still hitting the others while some were still hitting the airship.

"Let's go!" Ash shouted as a Flamethrower shot right over heads.

Dragonair didn't need to be told twice as it dove right off of the hanging walkway and into the air. Ash immediately felt his stomach drop and clenched his teeth as he felt the air rush around him from the sudden change. That was when Riley's eyes glowed blue, and the fall was slowed significantly. Both Ash and Dragonair sighed in relief at that as they slowly fell into the raging ocean below. Once they were there, Riley's eyes quit glowing which allowed Dragonair to move again.

"Great! Now full speed ahead to Lightning Island!" Ash shouted.

Despite the scary waves, Dragonair began to power forward with everything it had. Because of its light weight, Dragonair was still being tossed around by the massive waves, causing Ash and Riley to endure as much as they could. Lightning Island wasn't too far away now. They could even see the outline of the rest of the group on the shoreline waiting for them. He couldn't see their faces, but Ash smiled and went to wave that they were okay until a dark shape overcame them.

Ash and Riley looked up and horror filled their faces when they saw the ship was falling right towards them. It must have sustained enough damage that it was now falling at a faster rate with Ash, Dragonair, and Riley right underneath it.

Dragonair began to power forward even faster now that it had become aware of the situation. If that ship landed on them, and they became trapped, that would be a serious problem. Ash and Riley could begin to hear the screams of the group as they got closer, trying to beat the ship, but it didn't look like they were going to make it. Ash shut his eyes tight while Pikachu hid in his backpack just as Riley shouted out. Dragonair's fearful look returned just as there was a loud crash as the ship landed in the ocean.

Leaf, Melody, Serena, Misty, and Tracey all gasped in terror when the ship fell in the ocean. It completely blocked Ash, Riley, and Dragonair from view. Charizard and Charla gave a roar and flew off the island in search of them. Even Fearow joined them.

The collector's ship, meanwhile, continued to sail along the sea and washed ashore quite a distance from where the group was standing. It then came to a rest, looking quite wrecked. They then turned back towards where Ash and Riley were just a moment ago. Charizard, Charla, and Fearow were flying overhead, trying as best as they could to locate them, but no such luck happened.

Everyone's look became increasingly worried as more and more time passed, but there was no sign of Ash, Riley, Pikachu, or Dragonair. It couldn't be, could it? Surely they would appear from the sea a second later, and everything would be fine. Still, after five minutes passed without the three Pokemon finding them yet, tears began to fall from their eyes as they began to lose hope. Another couple of minutes passed by, and still nothing.

"Please no," Leaf said as her voice cracked.

Serena sank to her knees. She couldn't believe it. Was this really how Ash's life was going to end? What was she supposed to do now? Ash, the boy who meant so much for her was gone. The worst part was she and Ash had parted from each other on such bad terms which made her feel awful. Ash probably died thinking she hated him, but she could never truly hate him. Despite her jealousy and anger, she still loved him and wanted him to know that. Now that he was gone, Serena had no idea what she was supposed to do now. He probably died hating her after all she did. She was such a jealous idiot.

Serena soon felt a hug wrap around her. Serena opened her eyes and found it was Leaf hugging her which Serena accepted. Misty soon joined in. While Leaf and Misty were exceptionally upset at what had happened, they knew Serena felt the worst out of all of them because of what had happened the previous night. Serena began to cry until the shout of Tracey and gasp of Melody gained the three girl's attention.

"Guys! Look!" Tracey exclaimed.

Serena's eyes snapped open as she, Misty, and Leaf turned to look in the direction Tracey was pointing, and they gasped, too. Though still quite far off, they could make out three figures coming towards them from where the wreckage of the ship was. One appeared a lot bigger than the others. Everyone squinted their eyes, and their faces turned from to complete joy when they saw who it was. Ash, Riley, and Dragonair were all coming towards them! Pikachu was even on Ash's shoulder

"Heeeeeeey!" Ash called as he waved at them from a distance.

The group didn't waste any time in running towards them when they heard Ash's voice. The two Charizard and Fearow must have spotted them, as well, as they halted their search and flew in the threes' direction, too.

As Ash continued running to his friends, he wasn't expecting Serena to be in the lead. The honey blonde-haired girl was the first to reach him. Ash's eyes went wide when girl threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, still crying, but this time in happiness. Ash hung his mouth open when he turned to Serena, whose face was buried into his shoulder as she cried. The others stood back and allowed her to go to Ash first. In the meantime, they all smiled at Riley and Dragonair.

"How did you guys survive?" Tracey asked Riley.

"We almost didn't, to be honest. When that ship landed on us, we miraculously avoided being actually hit by the ship so we weren't knocked out. However, we still began to sink because of the weight. I tried to use my aura to keep us afloat, but it wasn't enough. We had just gone under the water when we felt a strange presence beneath us and a beautiful sound," Riley explained.

"A beautiful sound," Melody mused as she appeared thoughtful.

"Yes. An underwater cyclone then sprang up and pushed us out of the water and onto an undamaged platform of the ship. We then rode the ship over to Lightning Island and got off when it crashed. As I said, it's a miracle," Riley finished.

"That's amazing," Misty breathed.

"We even managed to pick up a nice souvenir while we were over there," Riley smiled as he gestured to one of Ash's hands.

The group turned and saw that Ash was now carrying another orb in his hands. That had to be the lightning orb from Lightning Island. Now he only needed one more to complete the ritual. Ash, meanwhile, hadn't noticed his other friends looking at the orb in his hands. He was still staring in surprise at Serena who hadn't let up on her sobs yet. Togepi, Dragonair, and Pikachu were off to the side watching the two curiously.

"S-Serena?" Ash questioned.

"I'm just so happy you're okay! You have no idea how scared I was!" Serena cried.

"You were actually worried for me?" Ash asked again.

"Of course I was, Ash! I would never want anything to happen to you! I thought you had died hating me, and I was to blame for it!" she continued to sob.

Ash's eyes watered when he heard that. Serena still cared for, after all. He took a few shaky breaths before he took Serena's head and gently turned it in his direction. Her tear-stained face stared right at him when he said his next sentence.

"I could never hate you, Serena," he said. "In fact…,"

He was cut off as the sound of screeches filled the sky. The group looked up and saw the legendary birds had once again brought the fighting over to them. Several attacks flew in their direction as they even had to duck to avoid some of the attacks.

"I hate to break this up, but we need to get out of here!" Riley interjected.

The group didn't need to be told twice as they returned their Pokemon and took off running. Ash mentally growled at himself for the unfortunate circumstances. He was finally going to make things right with Serena, but this had to happen. They continued to run across Lightning Island as fast as they could.

"Let's head for the wreckage!" Riley yelled. "Melody's boat fell out of the ship in the chaos! We can use that to escape!"

After a few minutes of running, the group soon came among the wreckage and passed where the lightning orb had presumably rested a moment ago. That's when they saw the boat which was miraculously still in one piece. The group didn't know how, but they weren't about to question their luck at a moment like this. They all got in boat as Melody got out her key to crank the engine.

"Come on," she pleaded and then smiled when the engine turned on. "Let's get out of here!"

They were just about to move when they saw something unexpected. A rush of water was flowing down a side of Lightning Island. It must have been melted by all of the attacks of the legendary birds around it. Melody turned around and began to drive her boat away from the flow of water and debris coming towards them, but it was futile.

The water quickly caught up with them and slammed into the boat. They group cried out as they were pushed around with various bits of debris slamming into the boat. They all then let out a gasp as they saw water beginning to fill the boat.

"We're sinking!" Misty screamed.

The group was at a total loss of what to do. There was no way they would be able to make it to whatever the closest island would be. However, it wouldn't be smart to go back to Lightning Island, either, because of all the destruction going on there. Abandoning ship wasn't an option either due to the bad conditions of the ocean itself. The situation was looking quite grim.

That's when a strange cry sounded around the group. They all looked around curiously before they cried out as a cyclone formed underneath them and rose Melody's boat high into the air. It then began carrying them across the freezing sea.

"This is just like the cyclone that saved Ash and me earlier," Riley noticed.

"Really?!" Leaf asked in surprise as a strange cry sounded around them again.

"That noise," Melody mused again.

"Does it sound familiar to you? Do you know what it is?" Misty wondered.

"It sounds familiar yet it doesn't at the same time. It couldn't be," Melody replied a she appeared to be concentrating.

The cyclone continued to carry the group across the ocean and away from the feuding legendary birds. They then felt a push from the cyclone as it threw them onto a cliff of a nearby island. There was a huge jolt as the boat hit the ground, but after they collected themselves from the shock of what had just happened, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is everyone okay?" Ash asked them.

"I think so," Serena breathed.

"What was that cyclone that saved us? Mr. Riley said it had saved you and him before," Leaf asked Ash.

"I have no idea, but whatever it is, something is definitely looking out for us," Ash replied.

"So where did the cyclone take us anyway?" Serena wondered as she looked around.

This island didn't appear to be as big as the other islands they had been to. They didn't know what all this island had to offer. From what they could see, there was a small row of steps that led up to some sort of altar. They then tilted their heads curiously when they saw they weren't the only occupants of this island right now.

A Slowking was making its way down the steps and towards the group. It didn't appear hostile at all, but the group knew they could never be too careful. The Slowking continued to walk until it stopped just in front of Melody's boat. It then looked up and did something which surprised the group. As if they hadn't had enough surprises today.

"Hello there! Are all of you alright?" the Slowking asked.

Everyone gasped that the Pokemon could talk except for Riley who chuckled lightly.

"You can talk?" Ash gasped.

"Yes. I can. All Slowking can speak the human language eventually. It's all a part of our growing intelligence," the Slowking replied.

" _Does that mean my Slowking will be able to talk someday, too?"_ Serena thought to herself as she remembered her own Slowking.

"I see you have the treasure with you," the Slowking noticed.

"The treasure?" Ash questioned.

"Yes, those orbs in your hands," the Slowking said as it pointed to the fire and lightning orbs. "Take the treasure, and place them over there."

The group looked where it was pointing and saw it meant the altar. Ash then looked curiously at the orbs in his hands. He didn't remember anything about Melody saying he had to place the orbs at some kind of altar. He was just supposed to bring them back to Shamouti Island. Ash then felt a tugging on his pants. He looked down and saw Pikachu was nodding to him. Ash took that as a sign to do what the Slowking told him and nodded to it.

"Right," he replied as he got out of the boat while the others followed suit.

Ash then climbed the steps of the altar while the others waited at the foot of the stairs. Pikachu ran a little further ahead of Ash and stopped in front of a stone statue with three openings in it. Ash peaked inside the holes curiously and gasped in interest when he saw what the openings revealed. Though each of the openings, he could view one of Fire, Ice, or Lightning Island off in the distance.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu urged.

Ash then used common sense to dictate where each of the orbs would go. He placed the fire orb through the opening that allowed sight of Fire Island and the lightning orb in the opening that showed Lightning Island. He soon found out that he still needed to get the one from Ice Island, but before he could contemplate that further, a voice spoke to him.

"So you must be Ash?" the Slowking figured as it joined Ash at his side.

"Oh!" Ash jumped in surprise, still not used to having a Pokemon talk to him like that. "Yes. I am."

"It seems you're one treasure short," the Slowking observed.

"Yeah, but how did you know my name?" he wondered.

"It's because you're spoken of in the prophecies," the Slowking replied simply.

"What do you mean? I never head my name in a prophecy," Ash questioned. He doubted that the Slowking was referring to the one Moltres told him about on Victory Road.

"Oh, but it does. It's in the legend of Shamouti Island," the Slowking answered. "Think about it."

Before Ash could recite the legend he heard the previous day, Leaf's cry made him snap out of it.

"They're coming back!" she yelled.

Ash, Pikachu, and Slowking peaked around the altar. Sure enough, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres were making their way over to the island where the group was at now. If they didn't know better, they would say the legendary trio was purposely following them. Ash clenched his teeth as he and the others watched. If they attacked this island and got a hold of the altar, there would be little anyone could do. Ash wasn't sure what it was, but he had a feeling these orbs played a key in stopping them.

"Cut it out!" Ash yelled as he ran off the altar and stood defiantly at the edge of the cliff with Pikachu by his side.

It didn't look like they were going to listen to him, but they didn't have to. Another mysterious cry like the previous ones filled the sky around them. Everyone stopped to look around curiously. Even Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos briefly stopped fighting when they heard the noise. They then began to make cries of their own. The group was wondering what was going on until they got their answer.

Another waterspout erupted from the water, even higher than the previous ones. The three legendary birds were hit by the waterspout as it passed by them which forced them to back off. It was almost like the waterspout had a life of its own. The group didn't know how that was possible until a large shape began to show itself in the swirl. It became clearer and clearer until the waterspout exploded outward which sent several water droplets around it.

"Is that what I think it is?" Melody muttered in awe.

The Pokemon resembled a cross between a bird and a dragon that was primarily silver in color. It had a long, slender neck and a smooth streamlined body. It had blue plates on its back and huge, regal, majestic wings that rivaled even Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. The entire group was completely in awe at what they saw, but only one being was able to voice what they saw.

"It's Lugia, the great Guardian of the Sea!" the Slowking cried.

* * *

Lawrence III rubbed his head as he awoke from unconsciousness. He had been knocked out after being thrown from his chair when his ship crashed onto Lightning Island. The collector slowly got up off the ground as he thought about the recent events that had happened. That's right. The legendary birds that he had spent years waiting to capture had escaped his grasp. Then they went on a rampage along with Articuno and destroyed his beloved ship.

Lawrence III took a good look around his ship at all of the destruction. Realizing that his precious artifacts may be harmed, he took off down the corridor to the room that held most of his prized collections, his usual calm demeanor gone for a change. Once he entered the room, he took a few short breaths to steady himself before he gasped at what was before him.

The room was nothing short of wrecked. Holes were in the walls. The cages that had once held Zapdos and Moltres were just a pile of debris. None of that mattered to Lawrence III at the moment. The biggest blow of all was that a lot of the things he had spent years collecting were either broken beyond repair or gone completely, probably obliterated by Zapdos' and Moltres' brief battle in the room.

The collector couldn't believe it. His lifelong dream of becoming the world's best collector had come to a screeching halt. As much as he wanted to blame the group whom was in his ship moments ago, he ultimately knew this was because of him. Lawrence III took out his only remaining possession, the Mew card that his late mother had given him, and stared at it. It was the only thing he had left.

Lawrence III took a look at one of the holes in his wall and could see Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno still warring with each other with no signs of slowing down. If this kept up, they would destroy each other. As they fought, Lawrence III was finally beginning to realize the damage of what he had done. Lightning Island and the other islands around his ship had been completely frozen over by the unstable weather which Riley had told him about. These creatures were never meant to be captured. One thought went through Lawrence III's head as he took one more look at his Mew card.

" _Did I make a horrible mistake?"_

That was when a beautiful and mysterious cry filled the collector's ears. His eyes glanced in the direction it had come from, and he couldn't believe it. The great beast of the sea, Lugia, had just risen from the sea in a waterspout, sparkling with magnificence. The legends of its beauty truly didn't do it justice for how wonderful this creature looked. Once Lawrence III saw it, he pocketed his Mew card, and put a smirk on his face.

He can't let one setback such as the legendary birds escaping keep him from the real prize that was Lugia. It had still been summoned despite not the way Lawrence III had intended. Yes. His whole collection might have just been destroyed, but the real prize, what he had been after for years, had finally appeared before him. He couldn't stop now that he was so close to achieving his goal. If he was lucky, he still might have many capture devices that were still operational. Forgetting all sense of remorse, Lawrence III walked back to his main computer room. He would capture Lugia at all costs.

 _"The beast of the sea shall soon belong to me,"_ he thought.

* * *

 **Just when it looks like Lawrence III will have remorse, he slips into total insanity. I wanted to add a little more depth to his character than the movie did, so I hope I have accomplished that to some degree. Ash and Serena are starting to make up a little bit, and Serena is finally beginning to realize her mistake, too. They aren't there yet, however.**

 **Now..onto what I wanted to say: I've also thought long and hard about this, but I am no longer going to do a question and answer session after this arc is finished. I'm tired of my review box being clogged with questions that don't even matter. I mean, seriously, I went to do the question and answer segment for this chapter, and I was in shock. Every...single...question...was either something I had already answered...some quite a few times before, or something that didn't even matter. I still answered a few things in PMs to those of you who got them, but the rest...look in past chapters. The answer to your question is there. If you forgot you read the answer or that if the question was already asked...that's another reason why I'm stopping this in the first place.  
**

 **Furthermore, it just spoils the story anyway, and I prefer to surprise my readers, and it makes the overall reading experience more enjoyable for all of you anyway. Now, if you want to make predictions about what is in the story and PM me about it...sure. I'll listen as it's fun to hear what readers will think will happen in the story. As far as things like "Will Ash catch this Pokemon" or "Will Serena give Ash CPR"? Those types of things I no longer wish to worry about. Even after I specifically said a while back I will only answer questions to the arc of which I'm on, some people STILL asked questions about things that wouldn't even be until the Sinnoh arc which is at least a few years away. Chances are, you will forget you asked it and ask again, or someone else will forget you asked it and ask me again. It's happened many times before already. Put quite simply, this question thing has gotten completely out of control, and I am undoing it starting the Johto arc. I will not change my mind about this. Even if I did, it wouldn't be long until everything went right back to how it was. Whether this decision increases or decreases my reviews, I'm not sure, but it is for the best.  
**

 **Of course, if one of you has a question in the story about something you didn't understand, please let me know. I will be more than happy to explain it to you. Also, if you just want to PM me and chat about the story in general, you are more than welcome to. I always enjoy talking to readers even if I sometimes don't have timely PMs.  
**

 **Not much else to say except thanks for all of the reviews and support. Depending on when I finish writing the Orange Islands arc, I don't know if the next chapter will be released before or on the 5th. For now, let's just say the 5th of February. The final chapter of the Power of One arc is next, and it has a few surprises, both good and bad.**

 **Chapter 19: The Power of One: Part Three**


	19. The Power of One: Part Three

**A/N: Almost all of you were under the impression that I would stop answering questions starting last chapter. Not so. I said I would stop answering questions when the Orange Islands arc ended. Still, it was nice to have a break since I received very little questions. Of course, a few people had less than kind things to say, but I assure you, if I didn't or don't answer your question, it means I already answered it, it was irrelevant, or it had nothing to do with the Orange Islands arc. That is every single case whether you believe it or not.**

 **Well, that's out of the way! Please enjoy this last chapter of the Power of One arc. It's quite a long read, so hooray?**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 19: The Power of One: Part Three

The group continued to stare in utter astonishment at the beautiful Pokemon before them. It didn't leave too much to the imagination to figure out why Lugia was called the guardian of the seas. While Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, certainly held an air of superiority around them, Lugia just had such a commanding presence that demanded respect.

"I can't believe it," Melody mumbled.

"It's so beautiful," Leaf said.

"So that's…Lugia," Ash muttered as he finally got over his shock and finally pulled out his National dex along with Leaf and Serena.

"Lugia, the diving Pokemon. Lugia spends most of its time quietly slumbering at the bottom of the seas. It is said to be the guardian of the seas," the mechanical devices said.

Lugia had its back turned to the group as it stared at Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres before it. The three Pokemon stared defiantly back and looked none too happy about Lugia showing up. Lugia rose a little higher in the sky and began to cry out at the three Pokemon before it. It was making gestures with its wings as if it was telling them to cease the fighting. As it cried out, Melody had a look of realization on her face as she took out her ocarina and stared at it. The cries Lugia made were the same sounds that rang out from her ocarina. So that's where it comes from.

Despite Lugia's urging, the three legendary birds didn't appear willing to listen. They all gave another cry before they shot several of their respective attacks at Lugia. The diving Pokemon nimbly flew out of the way before it glared at the three legendary birds. So this is how it would have to be then. It would have no choice but to fight in order to finally quell them it seemed.

The three legendary birds began to chase Lugia around in the sky and shot several attacks at it. Lugia would successfully avoid the attacks each time as it flew away. If it kept this up, it could quickly tire them out. Lugia then folded the plates on its back as it picked up speed and dive-bombed straight into the ocean which created quite a splash. It then made a U turn in the water before it formed a waterspout and shot upwards again. The three Pokemon were caught up in the storm and cried out in aggravation before Articuno launched an Ice Beam which froze the waterspout Lugia was in. It didn't hold Lugia for long as the frozen waterspout soon shattered, and Lugia was free.

The group watched in worry as Lugia struggled to fight the legendary bird trio. Though it was doing rather well in holding its own, it was still three against one. It seemed this was the only time Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres were fighting a common Pokemon and not each other. They continued to shoot several attacks at Lugia, who would dodge or occasionally fight back.

"Do you think Lugia can win?" Serena asked to nobody in particular.

"I don't know. I hate to say it, but the odds aren't in its favor," Melody replied before a piece of the legend came to her mind, which she recited to the group. "Though the water's great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail."

"Oh. This looks bad," the Slowking said glumly.

The group then let out a gasp as Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres cornered Lugia against the cliff the group was on. They all then shot out their strongest attacks. Knowing that if it dodged, it would put the humans behind it in peril, Lugia had no choice but to take the attack. It tried to set up a barrier, but the three attacks were too strong and struck it dead on which caused Lugia to cry in pain. It then collapsed and fell back into the ocean. Articuno then shot an Ice Beam at the area where Lugia fell, and it froze over once again.

The group hoped now that the three Pokemon were at least tired enough to stop, but that didn't prove the case. Now that their common enemy was taken care of, they went right back to warring with each other. It seemed like nothing would ever get them to stop. The group stared down in despair that Lugia had been beaten so quickly. Now they really were at a loss of what to do.

"The legend said its song will fail," Melody muttered.

"Thus the Earth shall turn to ash," Slowking moaned.

"So…Lugia was destined to lose," Leaf said.

"That can't be right! Can it?! It would make no sense in foretelling a prophecy that would destroy the world!" Misty exclaimed.

"That's right. There has to be a part of the prophecy we're missing," Tracey agreed.

"Pikapi! Pikachu!" Pikachu cried as it pointed with its tiny fingers.

The group turned where it was pointing and couldn't believe what they saw. Hundreds, no thousands of Pokemon were seen in the distance and were racing towards the island. There were all kinds of Pokemon there. Many water Pokemon were traveling along the parts of the water that weren't frozen while many more Pokemon who couldn't swim were crossing the snow. The sky was filled with several flying-type Pokemon. They almost blanketed the sky because they were so numerous. It truly was a sight to behold.

"What? Why are all of the Pokemon gathering here?" Serena asked curiously.

"The Pokemon are in tune with nature. The source of all of the weather hazards are here. Thus, all of the Pokemon gathered to do what they can to stop the disaster," Riley answered.

"So is this why you've been acting funny, Pikachu?" Ash asked it.

"Chu!" the yellow rodent confirmed.

"What does this all mean, though?" Leaf wondered.

"They all must have come to see the Chosen One," Slowking replied.

"But we don't have any idea where this Chosen person is!" Misty yelled in frustration.

"The Chosen One is the only hope, though. Only the Chosen One can bring together the treasures to help the Great Guardian," Slowking sighed.

"There's got to be some clue as to who the Chosen One could be!" Leaf cried.

"Though the great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail," Melody recited again.

"Thus the world will turn to ash," Slowking finished.

Serena took a glance off at all of the Pokemon in the distance. For some reason, they had all stopped and were looking directly at the group on top of the cliff. Serena thought this was really strange behavior for the Pokemon as she had never seen them act this way. It was like they were all waiting for something to happen, but what could they expect them to do? Surely they couldn't be looking at everyone in the group. Could they?

Serena then looked down and saw Togepi wasn't laughing playfully like normal. Its head was turned to the side as it was looking directly at Ash…its daddy. Serena wouldn't have thought this as odd if it weren't for the strange look in Togepi's eyes. It was looking at its daddy the same way the other Pokemon were looking up at them. Serena then noticed Pikachu was in front of Ash and looking at him directly just like all of the others.

Serena then realized that all of the Pokemon below them weren't looking at everyone in the group. They were all looking at Ash! The raven-haired boy seemed to start to notice also as he looked around in confusion and discomfort at having thousands of Pokemon stare at him like he was some sort of god. Serena then remembered the legend she just heard from Melody and Slowking. Alone its song will fail, thus the Earth shall turn to…Ash. That was it!

"It's right there in the legend on who the Chosen is!" Serena exclaimed which grabbed the attention of everyone around her.

"What do you mean?" Melody asked.

"The Earth shall turn to Ash!" Serena said as, too, looked directly at Ash.

Everyone took a good look around them to see all of the Pokemon looking at them. That's how it looked from afar, but if one were to look closer, it would be found they were looking at one particular person on the island, Ash.

"Ash, the prophecy is talking about you," Tracey said in awe as all of the group's eyes turned from the Pokemon and towards Ash, also.

"Of course! It makes perfect sense!" Melody realized.

Ash's mouth hung open once he hear that. "Me? I'm the Chosen One?" he uttered in total shock.

"Pikachu, Pikapi," Pikachu nodded.

Ash began taking quick breaths to steady himself. There was no way he could be the Chosen One! Sure, Moltres had told that to him and Serena when he was on Victory Road, but it couldn't have been referring to this event. He couldn't be the Chosen One for two things! That's not all. He had been screwing up over and over ever since his twelfth birthday yesterday. Nothing had gone right. He hurt his relationship with Serena and his friends, and when he tried to redeem himself by using his aura, it had failed, and they ended up captured. Not to mention he and Riley almost got killed when they were escaping Lawrence III's ship.

"W-W-Wait a moment. I-I can't save the world," Ash stuttered as he took a few steps back.

"I know it doesn't sound easy, Ash, but you're the only one who matches the legend perfectly," Tracey told him.

"No. You don't understand. I've messed up so much lately. The fate of the world can't be in my hands. I'll just mess up again. I can't do this," Ash rebutted as he fell on his knees while his fists shook.

"Ash, I feel awful. I'm so sorry you got dragged into this," Melody said with remorse.

"It's isn't your fault. Every bad thing that's happened so far has been because of me," Ash replied as he hung his head.

"Oh, Ash. You have to try," Leaf tried to encourage.

"No. What if I mess up again?" Ash argued lowly.

"Now that's not a Ketchum attitude if I ever heard one," Riley intervened as he took a few steps forward and looked down at Ash. "Ash, you come from a bloodline of aura users. They were considered heroes in ancient times. We're direct descendants of Sir Aaron Ketchum, the aura hero of the Ancient War. We've never known how to give up. If I recall correctly, that's where you got your motto, 'Never give up until the end'! If anyone can do it, it's you!"

"Ash is the descendant of a hero?" Melody muttered in awe, but not loud enough for anyone else to hear.

"What if I fail, though?" Ash rebutted again. Even though he was reminded of his motto and his family history, this was just too much for him to handle right now.

"You won't fail, Ash," Serena spoke this time as she took a few steps forward and dropped to her knees, as well, in front of Ash.

Ash's terrified face turned to Serena's, and he instantly felt calmer. She had such a serene smile on her face as she looked at him. It was the most caring look she had given him since their fight the previous night. Ash could stare at that face all day. He had really missed it.

"You've done so many things when the odds have been against you. You've overcame so many things that other people could only dream of doing," Serena reminded him.

Ash stared at Serena as he thought of those things. He didn't need to be told of these things to know what Serena was referring to. His head began to play through all of those things. How he had saved his mom from Team Rocket. How he saved Celadon City from its power outage. How he got all eight badges in the Indigo League and placed in the Top Four his first try. How he just received all of the badges of the Orange Islands.

"That's right! The song!" Melody remembered as she took her ocarina out of her pocket. "The sound Lugia makes is just like the song from the legend!"

Melody then brought the ocarina to her lips and began to play it. The song sounded so beautiful and soothing. It was like all of the world's problems would wash away on their own. As Melody continued to play, the group began to realize she was right. The sounds coming from the ocarina really did sound a lot like Lugia.

There was a slight rumbling as the sky above them started shining. The group was wondering what was going on until they saw another waterspout burst out of the ice below them. The waterspout then dissipated to reveal Lugia who looked perfectly healthy. A beam of light shined down on Lugia which gave it a majestic glow. Lugia then looked down towards the group, but specifically to Ash.

 _"The song. The song has restored my strength,"_ Lugia said via telepathy. Even its voice sounded powerful. _"However, it alone cannot bring harmony to the three warring ones."_

"What needs to be done then?" Leaf asked.

 _"When the treasures of fire, ice, and lightning are aligned, my song shall harmonize with their powers and tame the beasts both above and below the sea. This can come to pass only with the help of the Chosen One,"_ Lugia answered.

"I-I don't get it. What can I do that someone else can't?" Ash asked. He was still having a hard time grasping this revelation.

 _"Only in the hands of the Chosen One will the Ice Sphere glow like the others, its power awakened,"_ Lugia replied.

"So I have to go to Ice Island?" Ash figured.

 _"The choice is yours,"_ Lugia said instead.

Ash glanced around at Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno as they continued fighting. How could he do something like this? Sure, he may have done incredible feats in the past, but they were nothing compared to this.

"I'm just a twelve year old kid. I can't do this!" Ash argued.

 _"The Chosen One can,"_ Lugia told him.

"I believe you in, Ash," Leaf said.

"I do, too," Tracey added.

"You're the descendent of a legend. How could I not believe in you?" Misty asked rhetorically.

"I believe in you, too," Melody said.

"You're a Ketchum, Ash. I believe in you," Riley said.

Serena took Ash's hands gently in her own and gave them a light squeeze. "I believe in you, Ash."

"Pikachu," Pikachu nodded as it and Togepi went and hugged Ash's leg to show they believed in him, too.

Ash's pokeballs shook as all of the Pokemon he had with right now appeared. They all nodded to Ash and cried their names to show their support, as well. There was no other trainer in the world they had more confidence in than Ash.

Ash glanced around at all of his friends. They said they all believed in him. It was true that he had screwed up a lot in the past couple of days, but all of that stopped here! He was going to make right all of the things he had done wrong. Maybe he really could do this. Ash couldn't help but wipe his eyes at this. He was really touched by how much everyone believed in him. Ash pushed aside all of his past mistakes and gave a hopeful look at all of his friends, his Pokemon, and then Serena.

"I'll do whatever it takes to get that third treasure! I can do this! I'm the Chosen One!" Ash declared. He didn't say it in an arrogant tone, though. He spoke it with determination.

"There's the Ash we know and love," Leaf smiled.

Ash then rose to his feet to his feet as Serena rose to hers as well. Ash then looked at Serena in the eyes. She was the first person who he was going to attempt to fix his relationship with. For a while, the two didn't say anything to each other. Then Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out something he had been carrying since last night. Serena couldn't help but gasp once she saw it.

"It's my pendant," she muttered.

"It is," Ash confirmed.

"You kept it?" Serena asked in bewilderment.

"Of course I did, Serena. This is a symbol of our relationship and how much you mean to me. I could never let this go. Never," Ash said seriously.

"Ash, I…," Serena tried to speak, but found herself unable to.

"Serena, you mean so much to me. More than anyone else in the world. I know some stupid thing I said last night made you not think so, but trust me when I say that you're the girl who occupies my thoughts. No one else. You've been there for me more times than I can count, and I could never throw all of that away for someone else. Anything I may feel for someone else is nothing compared to how I feel about you," Ash continued.

Serena's lip quivered as she took a brief look at the locket and back at Ash again. The truth was when she had torn the pendent off of her neck, it had hurt her, too. She thought she had permanently damaged her relationship with Ash and that he would be upset with her, but her he was, still with it. He was even still saying that she was the girl he wanted to be with and that she was the one who he was devoted to.

"Do you believe me, Serena? Will you accept the pendent back?" Ash asked hopefully as he stared deep into her beautiful blue eyes.

For a while, Serena said nothing. She was so touched with all of the things Ash had just told her. It was what she had needed to hear. He just proved to her that their bond was stronger than some fight and misunderstanding they would have. If they could make it through that, they could make it through many more things, as well. Serena wanted to be with Ash through those things every step of the way, too. At last, Serena found her voice.

"Yes. I will, Ash. On one condition," Serena said as she placed her hand around Ash's hand that was holding the pendent.

"What is it?" Ash wondered.

Serena then leaned forward as she delicately kissed Ash directly on the lips. Ash was taken by surprise at her action before he returned it. A couple of seconds later, Serena broke her contact. It was short but very sweet. Everyone else around them smiled to see the two together again.

"I'll accept it if you come back from Ice Island alive and save the world," Serena said.

"Heh. That's a high standard, but I think I can to it," Ash smiled as he adjusted his hat.

"I know you can. In the meantime, I'll hold onto it for you," Serena told him as she took the pendent from Ash and held it close to her heart but didn't put it around her neck quite yet.

"Thank you…Serena," Ash said with a shaky breath before he composed himself and stared at his Pokemon. "What do you say, guys?! Are you ready to get that orb?!"

All of his Pokemon gave a cry of agreement, too, to show they were ready. As then turned to all of his friends who were smiling at him. Things were definitely looking up for him again.

"We'll be back before you know it! I'm going to get that Ice orb!" Ash stated.

 _"Very well. We shall leave it to you, Chosen One,"_ Lugia said as it flew off to where Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos were.

Ash then turned to his Charizard. "Well, Charizard. You ready to lead me to where that treasure is?"

Charizard gave a roar of agreement and stomped off near the edge of the cliff. It then turned its head and signaled for Ash to get on. Ash returned his other Pokemon before he and Pikachu ran over and climbed on Charizard's back before he turned around and gave one final thumbs up.

"Please be careful, Ash. We'll all be waiting," Serena muttered as she clutched the pendent a little tighter.

"You got it, Serena!" Ash replied before he turned and nodded to his Charizard to signal he was ready.

Charizard gave another roar as it took off in the direction of Ice Island. Lugia had lead Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres well away from them so Ash and Charizard had a clear path. Ash shivered slightly from the sudden cold but still held the look of pure determination on his face. He was the Chosen One. He had to do this. He had to make things right. As long as the legendary bird trio was away, there could be nothing that would stand in his way.

Ash then heard a few cries of alarm off in the distance. The raven-haired boy turned and gasped when he saw several familiar cubed devices coming towards the legendary trio. Ash frantically searched and saw they were coming from none other than Lawrence III's wrecked ship. Ash couldn't believe it. Was that madman still set on capturing Lugia?! One would think that he would've learned his lesson after his ship was wrecked!

As the capture devices came ever closer, the legendary Pokemon quit fighting among each other yet again. They all began to attack the devices one by one in an attempt to keep from being taken again. Lugia was rather confused about what the purpose of these devices were until they began to surround it and started giving it electrical shocks. Soon, all four legendary Pokemon began to struggle to keep the devices off of them.

Ash gritted his teeth as he looked ahead and saw Ice Island not too far away now. If he could just reach the island and retrieve the Ice orb in time and then make it back to the altar, all would be well. It might be too late by then, however. The four legendary Pokemon could only hold the capture devices for so long. If they, especially Lugia, were captured, any attempt at restoring balance would be futile. They were absolutely necessary for this and could have no harm come to them.

Ash realized he now had a huge dilemma to deal with. He could keep going to retrieve the Ice orb and essentially let Lugia fend for itself in hopes of reaching the altar in time. The other option was to try to go help it out and help keep the capture devices away from it until they were all destroyed. That was incredibly dangerous, however, and he could wind up being captured, too. Ash seriously doubted Lawrence III would let him go so easily now that he realized Ash completely opposed him. Then there really would be no hope.

Charizard seemed to realize Ash's dilemma as it turned its head to await his decision. Ash looked back and forth between the overwhelmed Lugia and legendary trio to the fast approaching Ice Island. Either way, he had to make his decision fast. Ash clenched his teeth at the decision he was about to make. He just hoped it was the right one. Lugia had to stay free at all costs.

"Change of plans, Charizard! Let's help out Lugia first!" Ash yelled.

Charizard nodded its head and made a ninety degree turn to its right to head off to where the others were fighting. It was true that Ash had clear path to Ice Island, but it would mean nothing if the legendary Pokemon were captured.

As Ash and Charizard approached, Lugia noticed this and appeared rather surprised that the Chosen One was coming to help it. Lugia wanted to tell Ash that it could handle itself and to focus on getting the Ice treasure. Still, it realized the danger it was in, but it was just as dangerous if the Chosen One was injured. Either decision wasn't very favorable so Lugia accepted whichever decision the Chosen One thought was best.

"Charizard! Use Flamethrower on those devices!" Ash yelled and pointed forward with his index finger.

Charizard gave a roar and blasted forth the stream of fire at one of the capture devices that attempted to surround Lugia. Pikachu added in its Thunderbolt from Charizard's back. The device was struck and momentarily short circuited which allowed Lugia to take care of the it. However, this drew the devices' attention to Ash which is what he feared. The capture devices were now attempting to come after him, too.

Ash gritted his teeth as he took another of his pokeballs out. They were going to need as much help as they could get against these things. He only had one other Pokemon that could fly at the moment, however, even if it as a little unstable.

"Let's go, Dragonair!" he yelled and released the dragon Pokemon.

Dragonair appeared and immediately extended its wing-like ears to hover in the air. Upon seeing the capture devices, Dragonair got a worried look on its face but quickly shook it off for this serious situation. It remembered Ash's words that everyone had its back. It then began using Dragon Pulse and Dragon Breath on the devices to fend them off.

Ash cried out in frustration at how relentless these things were. They were almost as bad as the black pokeballs Mewtwo sent after them a while back. Lawrence III must have been really desperate to capture Lugia with the amount of capture devices he sent out. Just how many of those things did this guy have? Sure, they were slowly getting rid of them, but all of the battling they had done was quickly tiring out Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Lugia. That was the collector's plan. He was apparently throwing every capture device he had at them and left nothing to chance.

Charizard, Dragonair, and Pikachu fired off another attack at one of the capture devices which destroyed it. Ash then gave a thumbs up to Charizard and Pikachu before he smiled at Dragonair. He was really happy that Dragonair was pushing aside its timid nature to help out right now. He remembered in the past it probably would have run away or stood frozen on the spot out of fear. Here, it was actually helping!

"I'm proud of you, Dragonair! Keep it up!" he called once Charizard incinerated another one of the capture devices.

Dragonair flashed Ash a grateful look before its eyes widened in alarm. Two capture devices had appeared behind Charizard and were about to attack it. Lugia noticed this, as well, and gave a cry of warning to them, but it was too late.

The capture devices shot out the powerful electricity which struck Charizard, Ash, and Pikachu, dead on. The shocks hurt Pikachu, but it was able to resist some of the damage because of its electric-tying. Charizard and Ash got the full brunt of the shocks, however. The devices then closed in around them to make the capture, but Lugia quickly intervened and shot a powerful beam which was probably Aeroblast and destroyed the devices.

The shocks had already taken the damage they needed, however. Charizard was severely injured by the shocks and began to fall towards the ground. In his exhausted state, Ash was unable to hold on as he and Pikachu let go and were on a free fall towards the ground. Lugia attempted to dive after Ash to save it, but its attention was quickly drawn away to take care of another device.

Dragonair, however, flew down after the fallen Charizard and gasped once it and Ash hit the ground. Ash gave a grunt of pain once his back hit the snow, now only half-conscious. The snow had cushioned his fall immensely, but he was still in pain with the electric shocks and the force of the impact anyway. Charizard was lying in the snow in pain, as well, and growling softly. Ash realized he had to at least get his Charizard out of the snow since it was in no state to battle anymore. Though he regretted it, Ash slowly returned Charizard to its pokeball and let his arm plop down by his side. Pikachu ran over to Ash and began to shake his arm.

"Pikachu! Pikapi!" it cried.

Ash continued to moan in pain as he clutched at the snow with his hands. Dragonair soon appeared beside Ash and began nudging him with its nose in an attempt to keep him awake. Ash glanced upwards from his sprawled position and saw Lugia, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres back in danger again. They had destroyed most of the devices, but now that Ash was out, they were struggling again, occasionally getting shocked. They couldn't keep that up forever.

"No…," Ash muttered as he reached upwards with his hand.

He couldn't let the collector succeed. If he did, there would be nothing anyone could do to restore balance. Eventually, the world would be destroyed by the phenomenal weather. This couldn't be. So many things depended on him. No. He couldn't fail again. He had to help Lugia and get that last orb.

The powerful shock, coupled with the sensation of the freezing snow quickly was taking its toll on Ash's stamina. Pikachu began giving Ash gentle sparks to keep him conscious, but it was doing nothing. As Ash's strength began fading, he began thinking of all his friends. He began thinking of Serena, how she made him promise to come back safe and alive. She and everyone else said they believed in him. She and everyone else were counting on him to get the last treasure, and he failed them. He failed everyone. Again. Just when it looked like he was going to succeed, something like this happened. Ash slowly closed his eyes as he blacked out.

"Chu! Pikachu!" Pikachu cried as it Thundershocked Ash a little harder this time. He couldn't faint like this.

Dragonair's eyes watered as it nudged Ash again to wake him. Seeing Ash like this really upset the dragon Pokemon. It had never wanted any harm to fall to its beloved trainer. It had been pathetic its whole life, but never once did Ash think it was weak. He always believed in it and helped it overcome its many weaknesses. He was always so kind to it and loved it when no else would. Dragonair couldn't stand to see Ash in a state like this.

Dragonair then turned around and stared at the evil capture devices that harmed Ash and Charizard. They were the cause of Ash's distress, and Dragonair didn't like it. For the first time, Dragonair pushed aside all its feelings of fear and got a look of determination on its face. It wasn't going to shy away from things anymore. Ash had never abandoned it when he had so many opportunities, too, and in turn, Dragonair would do all it could to protect Ash at any cost.

It had grown a lot with its timid personality upon evolving, but it was going to be scared no more! How could it ever protect Ash if it was too scared to do so?! It couldn't! Dragonair then knew that its desire to protect its trainer for all he had done for it was stronger than its fearful nature. That's when Dragonair got an uncharacteristic narrow of its eyes.

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned Dragonair as it stopped looking at Ash briefly to stare inquisitively at the dragon Pokemon. It knew something was up.

Thunder began to crackle from the clouds above them. For some reason, though, Pikachu knew that this wasn't the cause of the erratic storms in the area. This was coming from something else. Was Dragonair causing it? Was it trying to control the weather? No. What was it? Dragonair gave a roar that didn't sound like its own. A brief image of a powerful dragon-like being appeared in the sky before it faded. The group at the altar was able to see this image off in the distance, too, and wondered what could be happening over there. Pikachu then let out a gasp as Dragonair cried up at the sky and began to glow a shining white.

Wings sprouted from Dragonair's back as its slender body began to fill out more. It grew legs and arms before it stood up while its tail strengthened. Dragonair stopped glowing and in its place stood none other than a Dragonite. Pikachu was definitely surprised at how quickly it had evolved. Was its desire to protect Ash that strong?

Dragonite bent over and gently picked up Ash in its arms. It stared down at its injured trainer for only the briefest of moments. It then closed its eyes, and Ash was enveloped in a small blue light for a moment. Ash then let out a moan as his eyes fluttered open before he stared in shock at what was before him.

"Dr-Dragonair? Is that you?" he uttered.

Dragonite gave short nod to show Ash his guess was correct. Ash continued to stare in amazement at Dragonite before him. He didn't quite know what to think of situation. Ash then turned and saw Pikachu jumping up and down in joy because of Dragonair's evolution and because Ash was awake now.

Ash then directed his attention back to the legendary birds. They were still having a hard time and using their strongest attacks to destroy the devices, but they were starting to tire. Well, they had help now in the form of a fully healthy Dragonite. They could stop those devices once and for all now!

"Let's help them, Dragonite!" Ash hollered as Pikachu jumped on Dragonite's back.

Dragonite gave a cry of agreement and flew up with no hesitation this time. It launched a Hyper Beam at one of the devices which completely obliterated it. Ash stared in surprise as Dragonite must have learned that attack upon evolving.

Dragonite continued to use all kinds of powerful attacks to take out the capture devices like Dragon Breath, Dragon Pulse, and Twister. With as powerful as these moves looked, it didn't take long for Ash to realize why Dragonite was among the most powerful Pokemon around. He was very impressed. Some of its attacks almost seemed to rival Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Lugia, and that was really saying something!

It took another few minutes, but all of the capture devices were destroyed. Ash grinned triumphantly for having managed to stop them. He didn't see that collector guy trying to go after them again. Lawrence III must have used everything he had just now. Ash grinned broadly at Dragonite as he gave it a hug from its arms.

"You did amazing Dragonite! I'm really proud with how you've grown! You're the best!" he praised.

Dragonite felt tears come to its eyes at its trainer's words as it hugged him back. Ash said he was proud of it. All of its time with him, Dragonite had been desperate to seek Ash's approval in anyway it could. It's timid nature always held it back, though. It had earned his praise a few times by winning battles, but now that it was a Dragonite, it had done something really meaningful and saved its trainer from danger. Now, Dragonite wasn't going to be afraid anymore and would always be there for Ash when he needed it to be.

Ash turned from his newly evolved dragon Pokemon to see how the legendary bird trio was faring. He had hoped that all of that working together against the capture devices had calmed them down. That was when he was surprised that they seemed more hostile than ever, but not at each other. The three's anger were all directed at one thing, Lawrence III's ship in the distance.

The three charged up their most powerful attacks and launched them at the wrecked ship. Ash could do nothing but watch as they traveled the air with incredible speed before they struck the ship and caused a large explosion, bigger than the ones caused beforehand by their attacks. Ash watched, and his mouth hung open as the smoke cleared, and saw the ship on fire in several places and just plain wrecked in other areas.

The raven-haired boy couldn't help but think there was no way Lawrence III could've survived that. Sure, the man was clearly misguided and selfish, but he wasn't exactly evil. In a way, Ash almost pitied him. Lawrence III had spent his whole life for one goal, but ultimately, that led to his downfall. Ash sighed and tilted his cap slightly in memory of the collector before the cries of the legendary bird trio drew his attention again.

Lugia, as well as the legendary bird trio, were all panting heavily. Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres were surrounding Lugia and were now glaring defiantly at it for getting in their way again. Ash clenched his teeth as it didn't look like these Pokemon would listen to reason anytime soon.

"Lugia!" Ash cried.

" _There is no time Chosen One! I shall hold them off while you get the last treasure!"_ Lugia spoke.

"But…," Ash tried to protest.

" _Yes. I am very weak from that attack, but the highest priority is for you to retrieve the last treasure,"_ Lugia stated.

Ash bit his lip. He hated to admit it, but Lugia was right. If he and Dragonite hung around too much longer, the legendary bird's attention would be drawn back to him. He had to leave while they were distracted.

Ash tore his eyes away from Lugia and faced his Dragonite. "Let's go, Dragonite! To Ice Island!"

Dragonite gave a reluctant nod before it took off. Now that he was really flying with it, Ash realized that Dragonite's speed was just as good as Charizard's, but that was beside the point. Ash now needed to be fully focused on his mission.

Ash heard a cry behind him and couldn't help but turn to look. Lugia was charging up another Aeroblast and shot it at the three opposing birds which caused them to back off a little bit. It then flew forward and rammed into Articuno to keep it at bay while Moltres and Zapdos came from behind it. They each shot their attacks at Lugia which caused it to cry out in pain. It then turned and launched an Aeroblast at them, but a quick Ice Beam from Articuno caused it to misdirect its attack.

Ash then gasped in horror when he saw the three charge up their attacks at the same time just like before. Lugia realized this as well and quickly dove for safety in an opening of the frozen ocean before it came back up with a waterspout to stop them. The two Pokemon weren't deterred, however, and launched their attacks anyway. The attacks struck Lugia dead on which gave it a very strained look on its face.

It struggled to stay in the air for the briefest of moments before it fell once again. As Lugia fell, it was berating itself for being unable to hold off the warring ones long enough. If it hadn't been for that sudden attack by those human made devices, it would still be in good shape. Lugia hit the ocean which created a large splash. As it sunk lower and lower, Lugia shut its eyes in pain.

 _"I…have failed,"_ it thought.

Ash clenched his teeth as he stared at the scene before him. Lugia was now down, and he was on his own now. A regular playing of Melody's flute wouldn't revive Lugia from this far away. He was by himself now.

"Pika Pi! Pikachu!" Pikachu called at Ash.

"Pikachu?" Ash questioned as he looked at his rodent partner.

"Pikachu Pi!" Pikachu exclaimed as it pointed forward to the island and sparked its cheeks.

Dragonite also turned around and gave Ash a look of determination and nodded his head. As Ash looked at his two Pokemon outside, he felt the pokeballs that contained his other Pokemon wiggle in agreement. That's right. Lugia maybe down right now, but he, Ash Ketchum, was still able. As long as he was alive, he was going to get that orb and save the world! There was still a chance! He then looked over and saw that the legendary bird trio were beginning to bring the fight closer to him again. He had to move now.

"Let's go, Dragonite! Full speed to Ice Island!" Ash shouted.

Dragonair gave a powerful cry before it took off. Ash and Pikachu both crouched down as they stared hard at the approaching island. It was well in sight now. If they kept up this pace, they would be there in only a couple of minutes. Ash turned around and saw they legendary birds were getting further away from them now. Good. They weren't focused on him at the moment. That's exactly what he needed.

As Ash got closer to the island, he began to scan for a good place for Dragonite to land. The Ice orb would probably be near the center of the island. Ash frowned when he was unable to find a shrine of any kind like the others, but a quick point from Pikachu showed Ash an entrance to a cave of some kind that Dragonite could fly into.

"Straight into that cave, Dragonite!" Ash commanded with a point.

Dragonite swooped down gracefully and made a perfect entrance into the surprisingly small opening. Stalagmites and stalactites were all over the place as they flew through the cave. Dragonite was having to take all kinds of maneuvers to get through it, and Ash was having to duck a few times to avoid a particularly low hanging rock. Ash still couldn't help but be amazed at how well Dragonite was flying considering it just evolved.

Eventually, Dragonite began to slow as they saw the way out. About ten seconds later, they exited the cave, and Ash spotted what he was looking for. The shrine of Ice Island lay just before them, bathed in the small amount of light that was peeking through a small hole in the alcove Ash was now in. Dragonite came to a halt in a standing position which allowed Ash and Pikachu to slide of its back.

Knowing there was no time to waste, Ash ran up the stairs of the altar and saw the Ice orb in the shrine which was twinkling rather harmlessly. With a slight tug, Ash pulled the Ice orb from the altar. He now had all three and could save the world. Ash stared at it for only the briefest of moments before he stuck it in his backpack and rushed back to Dragonite. He and Pikachu both hopped on his back, and henodded his head.

"Alright, Dragonite! Let's go!" he ordered.

Like Ash, Dragonite wasted no time in fulfilling that command. It took off rather quickly which forced Ash to tighten his grip momentarily, but he was fine with that. They began to fly thought the cave once more. After about a minute, Ash could see the exit. As they came closer, Ash knew this was it. He had all three orbs. All he had to do was make it safely back to the others and…

A loud and pained screech filled Ash's ears as he exited the cave. It startled both him and Dragonite so much that they wobbled horribly, and Dragonite almost lost control of its flight. A second later, Articuno came soaring above their heads and slammed into the island wall next to the cave entrance, narrowly missing Ash and Dragonite. This was followed up by Moltres blowing out a Flamethrower which struck Articuno dead on. The ice bird made another pained cry before it slumped down with a few more pained cries. It fell into the snow and looked completely exhausted.

Dragonite narrowly flew out of the way as it continued on to the island where the others were. Ash breathed a huge sigh of relief. That was way too close. A few more yards to the right and they would've been the victim of that savage attack. Ash chanced a look behind him and saw Articuno panting heavily as it tried to stand up again but found itself unable to do so. He then looked and saw Zapdos and Moltres still fighting near him.

Ash hated this situation. If this kept up, they would destroy each other! Why did it have to be this way?! He had to get closer to that island. As they flew on, Ash could see several Pokemon in the snow below them, both land and water Pokemon. Why were they all here still? Was this what the prophecy meant by the world will turn to him? He couldn't let these Pokemon down. Everyone was counting on him, and he had to fulfill his destiny as written in the prophecy.

Ash was now nearing the shrine on where to put the final orb, then this could end. Everything will have been restored, and he will have saved the world. He's on the home stretch! He can do this! Ash then began seeing the outlines of everyone waiting for him on the island: Leaf, Misty, Tracey, Melody, his Uncle Riley, and Serena. He was going to fulfill that promise to come back, after all. He had the orbs and could do it! Ash grinned broadly and waved from the back of Dragonite.

"Hey, guys!" he called out.

That's when a stray Thunderbolt from Zapdos came out of nowhere. Dragonite dodged the blast just in time, but it still struck the cliff that was in front of Ash. Rocks and debris flew out from the cliff from the force of the blast. Dragonite flew upward in an attempt to dodge the blasts, but enough had already come out to where it couldn't dodge all of them. Dragonite gritted its teeth as it tried its best to shield its trainer from the rocks, but one managed to fly over its shoulder and struck Ash.

Serena screamed as Ash and Pikachu were knocked off of Dragonite's back. Dragonite tried its best to reach out and grab Ash, but it had company. Moltres and Zapdos had returned, and Dragonite narrowed its eyes. It probably would receive backlash from this, but they still harmed its trainer. Dragonite took a deep breath and shot forward a Hyper Beam towards the remaining two legendaries which forced them to back off. It then went after them to keep them a bay while everyone watched from the cliff in worry.

Serena, however, had enough. She furrowed her eyebrows as she gave everyone else a firm look. It's true that she wanted Ash to come back safely, but there was still one thing she knew. He was in trouble and definitely needed help.

"I'm going to look for Ash. Legend or not, he can't do this alone," Serena said with determination.

Melody stared at Serena for a moment with slight admiration. Just as she thought. It looked like Serena had fully forgiven Ash. He had told her what she needed to hear before he left. Also, the way Serena was looking at Melody right now bore no hostility. It looked like any bitter feelings Serena had towards the auburn-haired girl had gone away, also.

"Okay. I'll be here to play the song," Melody nodded.

"Thank you, Melody," Serena replied and held out her hand for the girl to shake.

Melody hesitated for the just the briefest of moments before she took Serena's hand and firmly shook it. Everyone else smiled at the gesture. It seemed like the two had set aside their differences and finally could get along.

Ash, meanwhile, was fading in and out of consciousness. He had taken quite a blow from that boulder and was feeling rather light-headed. Pikachu was next to Ash and continually shook him to keep him awake. It was hard, though, despite Ash's effort. He knew that if he passed out, he would probably sink like a stone. He had been so close before this disaster happened. It couldn't end like this. Everyone was depending upon him. He can't fail as the Chosen One!

"Ash!"

That voice. It was Serena's voice. Ash lazily turned his head in the direction he heard it from and saw a vague shape coming towards him. It was rather fuzzy, though. Still, that voice he heard was definitely Serena's. She was coming to him. Everything would be okay, now. He just had to rest his eyes…

Serena swam even harder once she saw Ash close his eyes. She couldn't let him do that. Despite the rather rough waves, Serena finally reached Ash and circled her arms around him and Pikachu to keep him from going under. She then tugged on the rope that was tied around her waist and held by Leaf, Misty, Riley, and Tracey.

The four began to pull as hard as they could against the rough waves. Serena had one arm tight against Ash and the other firmly on the rope. Ash had been under so much pressure, and it was wrong to try to have him do everything alone. Well, Serena was here for him now. She was going to help him complete his duty.

"Just hang in there, Ash," she whispered to him, despite the fact he probably couldn't hear her.

They finally reached the shore, and Riley grabbed Ash's shoulders and pulled him out with Pikachu riding on Ash's shoulders before he did the same for Serena. Riley then laid Ash out on the snowy ground while Serena knelt down next to him and gently shook him. It was then that she noticed a bump on Ash's head and gasped. So that's where he was hit. Riley then quickly gathered a snowball and pressed it against the concussion. It was rather crude, but it had to do right now since there were no ice cubes at the moment.

"Come on, Ash. Please open your eyes. You're almost there," she said in a worried tone.

Ash gave a groan in response. Whether it was because of how cold the snowball was or because of Serena's shaking, they weren't sure. At least he was coming around, though.

"I know it hurts, Ash, but please wake up. We're here to help you now. We're not going to let you do it by yourself," Serena told him softly.

Ash steadily opened his eyes, and they lazily moved around, and Ash saw all of his friends and his uncle looking down at him in worry. They then settled on Serena, and he let out a weak smile. Serena smiled back and picked up Ash's head to rest it in her lap.

"Serena? You saved me?" he uttered tiredly.

"Of course I did, Ash. I would never want anything to happen to you," Serena answered in a caring tone.

Ash's eyes then turned to all of his other friends. "You guys all came for me, too."

"That's right, Ash. We're always here for you," Leaf told him.

"You can always count on us," Misty added.

Ash felt his eyes water again. He had such great friends. Despite all that's happened, here they were, ready to help him. Yes. He messed up, but he would never doubt their faith in him again. He still had one more thing to do, though.

Ash sat up from Serena's lap and brushed off the makeshift snowball that Riley made. He then attempted to stand up but was apparently struggling. Serena and Leaf both grabbed him by each arm to keep him from falling back over while Riley steadied him.

"Ash?" Serena questioned.

"I've still got to get that last treasure in the altar. Will you all help me?" he asked.

They all nodded. "Of course we will, Ash," Serena replied.

The group then began taking slow steps up the stairs while Dragonite reappeared and flew beside them. Ash's face had lost its dizzy look and was now replaced with pure determination. He felt weak, but he had everyone here to help and support him. They continued to walk up the steps until Slowking and Melody came into view. Both put on relieved looks when they saw Ash was okay.

"Oh. You made it!" Melody called out to Ash.

"Have you brought the final treasure, Ash?" Slowking asked once the group reached it.

"I sure did, Slowking! It's right here!" Ash replied and pulled the ice orb out his backpack pocket for proof.

"Good. You must be the one to place it," Slowking responded and pointed towards the altar.

Ash then gently brushed off Serena and Leaf's arms. They looked at him inquisitively, but Ash gave them a reassuring smile.

"I'm okay guys. I can walk the rest of the way. Thank you," he said.

Everyone watched as Ash steadily walked up the stairs. Even Pikachu stayed behind this time. Ash was walking with such purpose. He knew exactly why he was walking up the stairs and for what cause. Ash Ketchum was the Chosen One. He was chosen to save the world. He was the one spoken of in the prophecy.

Ash reached the altar and saw the last place where the Ice Orb would go. All he had to do now was place it in the hole, and everything would be set right. Ash took a deep breath and gently set the Ice orb in the opening. All three orbs were now set. Everyone waited in anticipation to see what was next. The orbs all gave a flash, and Ash knew something was about to happening.

The orbs began to shine brighter than ever and emitted colored beams of light respective to their elements: red for fire, yellow for lightning, and blue for ice. All of the beams soon converged into one and turned a bright green color that took up the whole opening on the altar. A few seconds later the green light shot out of the altar which caused everyone to shield their eyes. When they opened them, they saw all of the snow surrounding the altar was gone!

The green light continued its course outward until it struck the stone pillars surrounding the altar. The pillars in turn began to glow green, as well. Soon, the glow stopped, and the pillars turned from their disheveled state to their original imposing appearance. Everyone stared in wonder before they remembered the next part of the ritual. They all turned to Melody who nodded her head in understanding and ran up the steps of the altar next to Ash. Melody brought the ocarina to her mouth and began to play the song to restore balance.

Like the previous songs she had played, this one was just as beautiful. It was so soothing and filled everyone with a sense of comfort and peace. The most interesting thing was how the pillars glowed green in tune to Melody's song. A different pillar glowed for each note that was played.

The group on the cliff weren't the only ones who thought the song was beautiful. Moltres and Zapdos, who had collapsed in exhaustion recently, raised their heads slightly at the song. Back on Ice Island, Articuno raised its head, as well. The three legendary birds began to think as they listened to the harmonious melody. It was as if they were remembering something important about themselves and what they had been doing before. They weren't meant to be fighting each other. They were to work together to keep the balance, not destroy it.

Slowly but surely, the dark and ominous clouds began to dissipate, along with the several twisters that had been caused by the storms. Sunlight finally began to peak through the clouds, and the group took it in. They all breathed in deep to how good the sunlight felt on their skin. A field of flowers soon bloomed around the altar as the green glow went out even further, soon stretching beyond the island and then out to the sea. The group couldn't help but be amazed as the normal weather returned. Even the snow was starting to melt gradually!

The group soon heard several cries fill the air. It was fairly obvious it was the legendary bird trio: Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, but unlike previous times, these cries weren't hostile ones. They were filled with beauty and peacefulness like they were meant to. Everyone soon saw the three legendary birds come between the islands and began to cry once more as if they were calling out for something. They only had to wait a short time before they found out what was being called.

A waterspout then shot out of the water between the legendary bird trio. Everyone grinned as they knew this could only mean one thing. Sure enough, Lugia appeared a few seconds later from the waterspout and let out a cry. That was when the dark clouds fully went away, and the sun shined brightly, bathing the Orange Islands. Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres then began to circle Lugia, now truly recognizing and remembering it as their leader.

With a graceful flap of its wings, Lugia glided forward and headed towards the island where the group was at. It then slowed its descent and landed on the ground in front of them, but particularly in front of Ash. It then made a gesture to its back. Ash widened his eyes and pointed at himself.

"Me?" he asked.

Lugia didn't respond verbally and just nodded its head. Ash smiled and motioned for Pikachu to come with him. The yellow rodent climbed on his shoulder as Ash got on the legendary Pokemon. Already he could tell that this was going to be a lot different than riding his Charizard or even his Dragonite. Lugia took flight and began to soar around the islands with the three legendary birds next to them.

Ash stared in awe at everything around him and the Pokemon he was on. It was quite overwhelming to be riding on the back of a legendary Pokemon like Lugia. The diving Pokemon then let out another cry, and water shot up from the ocean several hundred feet in the air. Ash looked around and wondered what was going on until he saw the water make an arc and connect back with the ocean. It almost looked like a rainbow made of the most sparkling water in the world. It was very beautiful.

"Wow," Ash muttered, completely a loss of one today.

Lugia gave the equivalent of a smile at Ash's reply before they turned and saw all of the Pokemon that had come to the Orange Islands now departing back for their homeland. Flying Pokemon, as well as water Pokemon, were carrying some of the land Pokemon who needed transportation. As they were passing by Lugia, Ash, and the three legendary birds, they would give a cry of acknowledgment before moving on. Seeing all of these Pokemon, Ash couldn't help but ask this question.

"So why did all of these Pokemon come?" Ash asked Lugia.

 _"With the imbalance of the world, they all knew they had to be here. If they could even make a tiny bit of difference, these Pokemon would travel for thousands of miles any day to help,"_ Lugia responded.

"I see," Ash responded before Pikachu cried out to signal it agreed with Lugia.

 _"Chosen One, the future could not have been in better hands. You have restored balance to the world by taming the beast of the sea,"_ Lugia told him.

"So the beast of the sea in the legend was the underwater current that was causing the crazy weather around the world?" Ash questioned.

 _"That is correct. You have my thanks, as well as theirs,"_ Lugia replied and gestured to Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. Lugia's expression suddenly darkened slightly.

"Lugia?" Ash questioned at seeing its demeanor change.

 _"Although you have done well today in saving the world, a time will come again when you are needed,"_ Lugia said.

"A-another time?" Ash echoed. Pikachu also perked up its ears and listened intently.

 _"Yes. I sense you've heard of the time when you will save the world before as the Chosen One. Though you did indeed save it today, there is another power in the future that is pure evil that must be stopped. Only the Chosen One can stop it,"_ Lugia replied.

Ash began to think back of when he first heard of this. A different Moltres had told him of this evil that needed to be stopped. That was many months ago. Now, it was being mentioned to him again. Ash didn't have any idea what could be 'pure evil' that Lugia was describing. Wait. Didn't Moltres also say Serena would be involved?

 _"Lugia, about that, is Serena…"_ Ash trailed, but Lugia stopped him before he went over farther.

 _"Yes. The girl known as Serena will have a role in destroying the evil, as well. However, you must use extreme caution with her, Chosen One,"_ Lugia said gravely.

"W-w-wait. Why would I need to be cautious with Serena?" Ash stuttered.

 _"Chosen One, you will need to save her when that time comes, or she may become your...greatest enemy,"_ Lugia sighed. Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres also nodded to show they agreed.

A look of terror flashed across Ash's face, and a chill ran down his spine when Lugia said that. Pikachu also put on a worrisome expression and hung its ears at that. It seemed like letting Ash enjoy the beautiful scenery he helped restore on Lugia's back wasn't the only reason Lugia had asked him to ride alone. It was also so it could tell Ash about these possible future events alone and away from anyone…especially Serena. Moltres had enlightened him a little bit on this subject, but Lugia had elaborated, possibly because it was their leader? Regardless, there was still one thing Ash had to know.

 _"Please, Lugia. Do you know what this evil is?"_ Ash pleaded.

Lugia sighed again. _"Unfortunately, I do not. The pure evil spoken of has not come to power yet. I know nothing of its features."_

"I see," Ash muttered as he hung his head. So everyone was still completely in the dark about what this evil really was. How could he ever go against Serena? Was _she_ the evil that was being spoken of? There was no way! That would be impossible!

 _"Do not despair, Chosen One. You have what it takes to stop that future from taking place. You just saving the world has proved that,"_ Lugia encouraged.

"Right," Ash nodded as Lugia began its descent back to the altar. The water rainbow fell down around them and back to the ocean. Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres let out a final cry before they flew back to their respective islands. Despite the beautiful scenery, Ash still had his thoughts focused on Lugia's message. It said he would be called to save the world again, but from what?

A distant memory then floated to his head as he wracked his brain to try to think what it could be. It was a certain dream that he had, and oddly enough, Serena, too. Several months ago. A dream where two particular things stuck out to him: Serena's extremely horrified expression, and what a malicious being had told them.

 _"The world…is dying."_

Did that dream have something to do with those events Lugia and Moltres had spoken of?

Lugia swooped back on the island as Ash climbed off. All of his friends were grinning broadly at him while Ash couldn't help but smile back. Despite his cheerful mood returning, there was one thing he had to say right now to Serena after what he heard. Ash walked up to Serena, placed his hands on her shoulders, and looked her straight in the eye.

"Serena, I want you to know…that I'm never going to let anything happen you. No matter what," Ash stated seriously.

Serena looked surprised by Ash's sudden seriousness, but smiled back regardless. "I know you won't Ash. I trust you now, no matter what. This pendent proves that. I know that we no longer have the other one, but this is good enough," she stated with a gesture towards the aforementioned item. Lugia took notice of the pendent and made a brief mental note about the statement Serena made.

"Right. I swear I'll protect you from anything," Ash said before he gave her a hug. "You can always count on me."

"Always," Serena responded before she hugged him back.

Serena didn't quite know what had just gotten him to say all of these things, but she was still happy nevertheless. All of his friends were thinking along the same line as Serena, except for Riley. He crossed his arms and astutely thought Ash had just been told a bit of information that involved him and Serena. Lugia spoke once more which broke the hug Ash and Serena had just given each other as they and the others faced it.

 _"Once again, Chosen One. You have my gratitude. The fate of the world could not have…and will not have been in better hands. Farewell. May we meet again,"_ it said.

With one final cry, Lugia flew in an arc before giving a big flap of its wings for speed. It then dove back into the ocean which created quite a splash. A few moments later, the clear ocean waters returned to their normal tranquil state, and any sign a legendary Pokemon had just flown into them had vanished. The group stared at the space where Lugia had left until Tracey's voice broke the silence a few seconds later.

"Ash! You've got to tell me what riding on a legendary Pokemon was like! Being a Pokemon Watcher, that would be the most magnificent feeling ever for me!" Tracey exclaimed as he got in Ash's face.

"Well…uh…," Ash stuttered with a sweat drop.

"I think Tracey's found another idol," Misty whispered to Leaf and Serena, who giggled in response.

"Oh! Look! A helicopter!" Ash shouted as he purposely turned away from Tracey and pointed upward.

Tracey frowned at Ash's refusal to respond to his question until he noticed something weird about the helicopter. It was actually heading towards them! The group stared in puzzlement as the helicopter came closer and closer until it landed on the island not far from where the altar was. The group wondered who on Earth could actually be coming to see them. The door slid open a couple of seconds later, and the group got their answer. Though everyone was surprised, no one was as surprised as Tracey when he saw the first person who stepped out of the vehicle. The Pokemon Watcher suddenly found himself unable to speak.

"Professor Oak?!" Ash exclaimed as the elderly man stepped out of the helicopter. He was followed by a two other women, Delia Ketchum and Grace Gabena. "And Mom?!"

"My mom, too!" Serena added when she saw her mother, Grace, step out last.

"Ash! Thank goodness you're okay!" Delia cried as she ran forward and gave her son a great big hug.

"Serena!" Grace cried as well, and mimicked Delia's motions.

"How did you guys know we were here? Also, not to be rude, but what are you doing here?" Ash asked in confusion.

"I came to the Orange Islands to investigate the strange weather patterns. Grace and Delia tagged along because they were really worried about you. We were tipped off by a few people on Shamouti Island about where the lot of you had run off to," Professor Oak explained.

"I see," Ash mumbled, at a loss of what to say.

Delia then released Ash from his hug while she placed her hands on her hips. "Okay, young man. Explain yourself of why you were in such a dangerous place. You, Serena, Leaf, and everyone else were in the middle of all of this!"

"Well, about that…," Ash trailed as he blushed and averted his mother's hard stare.

"Calm down, Delia," Riley reassured as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ash and the others were completely safe the whole time. I made sure of it."

"Riley?" Delia questioned.

Ash gave a grateful look to his uncle for bailing him out like that. It might not have been entirely truthful because they were in danger several times, but as long as it eased his mom's and Mrs. Gabena's worries.

"Yeah, Mrs. Ketchum. Ash even saved the entire world!" Leaf smiled.

"It was really something!" Misty added.

"Oh. He did, did he?" Delia questioned as she crossed her arms and stared at her son. Apparently, the whole 'saving the world thing' hadn't had the effect they had hoped on Delia.

Ash looked guiltily back towards he mother. "I'm sorry, Mom."

"Ash, I was just incredibly worried because I could've lost my whole world," Delia sighed.

At this, Ash widened his eyes. Of course. Ash saving the world meant very little to his mother. The only thing she cared about was making sure her son was safe. She would prefer him to have a boring normal life and be safe than save the world any day if it would put him any danger whatsoever. It was what all mothers wanted for their sons.

"Ash, I know that you are training to be a Pokemon Master and travel every day. You have so much of your father in you in that regard. However, that doesn't mean I don't worry about you every day and wonder if you're alright. I know I can't stop you, but I still miss you," Delia said as her eyes teared up.

"Mom…," Ash trailed as his own eyes teared up, too.

"Please Ash. I just want you to be safe. Riley was here for you this time, but I know he won't always. That's why I need you to promise me to stay as safe as you can," Delia elaborated.

Ash couldn't help but sigh as he walked to up to his mother and finally returned the hug she had given him. All this time, he had never stopped to really consider his mother's feelings about his journey. He really should call her more often to let her know he was at least alright.

"Also," Delia added as Ash looked up at her and expected another earful. "Just try to save the world a little closer to home. Every day, you're my hero."

Ash smiled slightly at his mother's statement before he nodded. "You got it!"

Despite these words, Lugia's cryptic message floated to the top of his head, but he pushed it aside, not wanting it to ruin this moment.

"Delia's right, Serena," Grace spoke now. "I'm so happy you're traveling with your friends and discovering what your calling is in life, but I worry about you, too. That's why I flew halfway across the world just to see if you were alright!"

Serena nodded her head, too. Just like Mrs. Ketchum, her own mother was just as worried about her. She had always felt pressured by her mother to find something for her life quickly. Grace tended to do that regularly. However, in the end, none of that mattered as long as Serena was safe. Those were the exact words Serena needed to hear.

"I will," Serena replied.

Ash looked at Professor Oak and suddenly remembered something very important. "Oh! Professor Oak! I've got something for you!"

Professor Oak turned in Ash's direction once he said those words. The elderly professor had a good idea of what it was, but he still couldn't contain the excitement in his face. Ash set down his backpack and unzipped the top before he reached in and withdrew the reason he came to the Orange Islands in the first place.

"Oh! The GS Ball!" Professor Oak said eagerly.

"Yes sir! Here it is! Delivered safe and sound!" Ash stated as he went over to the professor and set it down in his awaiting hands.

"Ah! I can't wait to study its secrets. I've been waiting months for this. Daisy had to keep reminding me to sleep because I would stay up in my anxiousness," Professor Oak mentioned.

"Heheheh. Sorry," Ash muttered as he rubbed the back of his head.

"No. It's quite alright. I know that this Orange League was important to you. The important thing is I have it now. You can bet I'll be studying this as soon as I get back," Professor Oak said.

"Glad to hear it!" Ash nodded.

"Well, as long as everything is okay, I'd like to get back to my lab. I'll be sure to let you guys know my progress on this GS ball when you get back to Pallet Town. I need to also let Rose and Blue know that you all were okay. " Professor Oak told them as he got back into the helicopter but stopped halfway. "Oh, Leaf."

"Yes, Professor?" Leaf asked with a tilt of her head.

"You're mother, Rose, agrees with Grace and Delia. You should not be in so much danger. However, she does recognize that you, Serena, and Ash are just like she, Blue, and Red were when they were younger," Professor Oak reported.

"Eheheheh. Right. Tell her I said that I can't promise that," Leaf replied with a sweatdrop.

"I'm sure she would expect no other response from you," Professor Oak replied with a smile before he went the rest of the way in the helicopter.

"Okay. Take care, Professor Oak," Serena replied as she and everyone else waved

"Remember what I said, Serena. As long as you're safe, that's good enough for me," Grace said as she gave one final hug to her daughter before she got on the helicopter, as well.

"Well, Ash. We can talk more about this 'saving the world' business when you get back," Delia seemed to scold, but Ash could tell she was just kidding.

"You wouldn't mind if I came with you, would you, Delia? I've been on vacation enough. I'll tell you all about how Ash saved the world," Riley offered.

"You're leaving, Uncle Riley?" Ash questioned, a little down.

"Yeah. I've been in one place long enough, if you know what I mean. It's time I started traveling again. Not to mention, I need to get back to Kanto, anyway, to report about that _other_ thing. I'll probably pay a visit to Yellow, too," Riley replied.

"Ah. I gotcha," Ash nodded. He and the others in the group knew what he meant by that other thing.

"Well, of course you can come back, Riley. I could use some company," Delia smiled as she got into the helicopter before she turned around. "Do you all need a ride back to Shamouti Island?"

"I've got it covered, ma'am. We can all ride back on Maren's boat. I can call her on my Pokegear," Melody answered.

"Oh, and who might you be?" Delia questioned.

"I'm Melody, a new friend of these guys," Melody replied with smile as she got in between Ash and Serena before she put her arms around them.

Serena and Ash raised their eyebrows at this before they shrugged their shoulders. Sure, they all had gotten off on the wrong foot with the whole jeopardizing Ash and Serena's relationship. However, Melody had proved herself to be a good person, after all, and had helped out tremendously when she was needed. Yeah. The group could call her their new friend, too.

"Oh. How nice. I'll leave it to you then," Delia replied before she got in the ship.

"Also," Melody whispered to Ash, "Saving the world was a sexy thing to do."

Ash's face turned red, and he immediately wiggled out of Melody's grasp around his shoulders. Serena merely rolled her eyes in response. That was just Melody.

Ash then faced his Uncle Riley. "Okay, Uncle Riley. I guess I'll catch you later, and thank you for everything," Ash smiled.

"No problem, Ash," Riley responded as they gave each other a firm handshake and then pulled it into a hug.

With a final wave to everyone else, Riley got in the helicopter.

Everyone watched as the pilot then lifted the helicopter back into the air. It hovered for only a moment before it flew off in the direction of what was presumably Pallet Town. The group continued to watch it until they were out of sight. Nobody said anything for a while until Tracey broke the silence again. He had been oddly quite since the helicopter had arrived.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe it! I actually saw Professor Oak in person!" Tracey shouted. He had finally found his voice.

"Yeah. Good for you," Misty said with a roll of her eyes.

"B-B-but…I didn't get to speak to him…," Tracey moaned as he began to cry.

"Uhhh…it's okay Tracey. There will be other times you'll get to speak to him. You're still welcome to come back with us to Pallet Town," Serena consoled as she patted Tracey on the back.

Everyone else couldn't help but nervously chuckle at Tracey's fanboy attitude when it came to Professor Oak.

* * *

Lawrence III stepped off of his now destroyed ship. He had been knocked unconscious for a quite a while and had somehow survived the legendary Pokemons' attack. After having failed in his last ditch effort to capture Lugia, the Pokemon had now turned against him and obliterated anything he had left on his ship. Everything was in pieces. Once one who had so many, Lawrence III now had nothing, except for one thing.

Lawrence III pulled out his Mew card and stared at it. Maybe he had set his goals too high. He was only human and could do so much alone. He had closed himself off to pretty much everyone in his greed, but now he had a change of heart. He realized the error of his ways and was going to start anew. Pokemon were not meant to be used as items in a collection. They were meant to be free and roam the world on their own or with a trainer, not spend their lives in cages.

Despite this, Lawrence III was still a collector. That would never change. It was true he lost almost everything, but he still had one comfort, his Mew card. He could always start a new collection and make it even better than the last. It's just what he did.

 _"My Mew card. How it all began, and how I'll begin..again,"_ he thought. With a smile, Lawrence III pocketed his Mew card and left the airship behind.

* * *

The group was now back on Shamouti Island. Though it originally looked like it would be problematic because Melody's boat was destroyed, Melody had stayed true to her word and called Maren on her Pokegear who had no trouble locating the group once Melody said where they were. They all waved goodbye to the Slowking who lived on the island before they left. Serena had been anxious to ask it when her own Slowking might start talking, but that question was for another day.

Ash had slipped away from the festivities of celebrating the Chosen One's deliverance and was staring out into the now sparkling, clear ocean with Pikachu and Togepi. Waves rolled back and forth, but they weren't the violent kind. They were all natural from the ocean breeze. Though he had been used to it the past few months, Ash once again appreciated the warmth and humidity after the wacky weather recently.

"Well, guys. It looks like another adventure of us has drawn to a close," Ash muttered.

Both Pokemon agreed.

"Even so, I think this may have been our biggest one yet. I think I've had enough adventure for a while," Ash said.

"Pika? Pikachu?" Pikachu asked.

"Of course, Pikachu. I'm still going to train you guys extra hard for the Orange League. It'll be here before we know it," Ash nodded as he got the gist of what Pikachu was wondering.

"Toge?" Togepi questioned as he tugged on its daddy's pant leg.

"Yeah. You'll be there to cheer me on, too," Ash smiled as he picked up the spikeball Pokemon and playfully tossed it in the air a few times to which it laughed.

"Still, with all of this adventure, you guys all heard what Lugia said…about Serena. I'm sorry I'm bringing this up now, but I have to talk about it," Ash muttered as his mood grew a little somber.

"Chuuu," Pikachu nodded sadly. Togepi instead looked inquisitively at its daddy.

"I know that Lugia said she will be tempted and could be our biggest enemy, but we aren't going to let that happen. I have no idea what this is about, but we'll do everything we can to change it. I'll be counting on both of your support should this time ever come. The three of us, and her Pokemon, will be able to reach her the most," Ash said seriously.

"Chu!" Pikachu nodded with determination.

"Prriiii!" Togepi nodded, too. It didn't know the full extent of the situation, but it would never let its mommy go bad.

"I also don't want any of you to mention this to her or tip her off. I don't want to scare her. It's best that she never knows. The least she knows, the better," Ash finished, to which the other two Pokemon nodded.

Pikachu then happened to look over and saw something flash on the beach. It perked its ears in curiosity and ran over to it. It then gave a surprised gasp and beckoned Ash over in excitement. Ash watched the yellow rodent for only a moment before he followed it while Togepi waddled after him.

"What do you see, Pika...?" Ash started, but didn't finish when he saw what it was. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't speak for a moment.

It was the pendent that Serena had given him. It was the pendent that she had thrown into the raging ocean when she and Ash had their huge misunderstanding about Melody. It should've been gone for good. The fact that it was here on the beach where Ash happened to be standing was nothing short of a miracle, and even that was putting it mildly!

"I-I can't believe it. How?" Ash finally mumbled in confusion as he bent over and gingerly picked up the item. It didn't even have a scratch on it! Ash opened the locket and saw the picture of him and Serena still in it. The picture looked no worse for the wear. In short, everything about the pendant still looked as good as new.

Ash continued to look in complete amazement before a beautiful cry filled his ears. It was clearly far way, but Ash still heard it. It was so beautiful and sounded so familiar. Lugia's cry. Ash suddenly smiled as he now had a pretty good idea of how this locket had found its way back to the beaches of Shamouti Island. Divine intervention. Ash mouthed a silent thank you to Lugia before a girl's voice filled his ears. He grinned when he realized who it was. Perfect.

"Ash, you've been gone for almost thirty minutes! When are you coming back to the party?!" Serena exclaimed with her hands on her hips.

"Oh? Sorry. I just was looking for something," Ash grinned as he turned around.

"What could you possibly have been looking for this long?" Serena questioned before she noticed Ash's expression. "Ash?"

"You're not going to believe this, Serena. Come see what I found," Ash smiled serenely.

Serena shrugged her shoulders as she went over to where Ash, Pikachu, and Togepi were. Whatever he had found, it had clearly moved him. Ash had a gentle fist that was holding something. He slowly brought it into view, and Serena gasped. She was just as amazed as Ash was.

"It can't be," she said.

"It is," Ash confirmed. "It's the locket you gave me for my birthday. I just found it on the beach a couple of minutes ago."

"But I…but I…," Serena started as she began to sob.

"It's okay, Serena. I know you threw it in ocean, but it's fine. All that matters is that I found it now," Ash soothed as he gave her hug.

"Will you…still accept it?" Serena asked through her teary eyes.

"Of course I will," Ash nodded with a smile.

Serena began to cry again at that. "Thank you, Ash. I know you've apologized to me, but it's my turn to apologize to you! I'm so sorry I threw that away into the ocean. I'm so sorry for the way I treated you lately. You're so important to me, and the thought of you with another girl was…"

"It's okay, Serena. I promise. I forgive you," Ash said as he continued to hug her.

Serena welcomed the hug and returned it with much affection. She really did have the best boyfriend in the whole world. She had let her jealousy take control of her actions and treated Ash horribly because she didn't know the full story. It was true that he was wrong for calling her a different name, and it had upset her greatly. Still, she could've at least tried to hear Ash's side of the story without lashing out at him like that. They had both been truly hurt by the situation, but now they fully forgave each other, and they were together once again. The finding of this pendent was the icing.

"Serena, I put the pendent I gave you on your neck. Will you do the same for me?" Ash asked with a grin.

Serena looked up into the eyes of the boy she loved and nodded her head. "Of course I will."

Ash then handed the pendent to Serena and turned around. Serena unclipped the necklace before she slipped it around Ash's neck and clipped it back. She was so happy she had been able to do this, after all. Now that she was done, Ash turned around and smiled at her before he held his new pendent up for Serena, Togepi, and Pikachu to see.

"How does it look?" he asked.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu nodded.

"Togeprriii!" Togepi said in excitement.

"I think it looks great, too," Serena added as she blushed.

"Heheheh, thanks," Ash replied with a blush of his own.

"Should we go back and show everyone?" Serena asked.

Ash though for moment. Yeah. They could tell the whole world now. Still, right now, Ash had a better idea.

"That can wait. Why don't we just sit down and watch the ocean for a little while. We still owe that to each other. We still have the night of my birthday to finish, after all," Ash grinned.

Serena was impressed to hear a suggestion like that come from Ash. That sounded so romantic. It would just be Ash and her alone on the beach, snuggled against one another. Pikachu and Togepi would be there, too, but they were always welcome.

"That sounds wonderful, Ash," Serena replied.

Ash smiled as they both sat down it the sand. Serena leaned her head on Ash's shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. Ash, in turned, put his arm around Serena's neck and leaned his head over hers. They then just sat there and enjoyed each other's company. Pikachu and Togepi stood off to the side and let them have their moment.

Serena was so elated right now. Ash had found the pendent she gave him and still accepted it after all that had happened. Now, they finally could match, and their relationship felt truly complete now. These pendants would be a reminder of how they are a couple and a team and weren't afraid to show it. They would always be there for each other. Now, Serena felt fully secure in her relationship with Ash. No more jealousy from her. Ash made a promise with this, and she knew he could keep it. Serena closed her eyes in contentment and drifted off.

Ash looked into Serena's beautiful face and smiled to. She looked so gorgeous right now leaned up against him. That's right. They were now fully secure in their relationship and knew nothing could ever take that away from them. As he thought before, anything he felt for another girl was nothing to how he felt about Serena. He knew that completely. They would always be there for each other, through the good times and bad. That included what Lugia foretold about Serena. Whatever evil decided to show its ugly head, Ash would never let it corrupt Serena, no matter what. Chosen One or not, Ash would make sure of that. Ash gave a comforting squeeze to Serena and soon lost himself in the moment, too.

* * *

 **That was quite the long chapter, but it did have a lot of content in it. Heh. I remember a couple of people guessed that Lugia would use divine intervention to find the pendent for Ash and Serena again. They were right!**

 **The home stretch is in sight. There are only four more chapters left in the Orange Islands arc. There are a few more plot points I have to tie up before the ultimate match against Drake. If this chapter's evolution was any indication, I think we all know at least one match up that will happen.**

 **Yes. Dragonite did evolve fast, but here is a small list, if you will, of other Pokemon who evolved fast in at least one of their stages, anime-wise: Charizard, Goodra, Infernape, Gliscor, Phanpy (in Battle Frontier), Kingler (one match), Snorunt, and the more obvious ones like Butterfree, Sewaddle, May's Beautifly, and Serena's Eevee are the ones that come to mind right now.  
**

 **I had a very obvious foreshadowing in this chapter with Lugia's message, and an extremely subtle one that I'm certain everyone missed as it was just sentence of text.  
**

 **That being said, I hope everyone enjoyed the Power of One arc! Just a few more chapters to go now, guys! Thanks for all of the reviews and support. I'll start writing the final chapter of the Orange Islands arc this week, and post the next chapter once I finish it. It should at least be within two weeks. Have a good one! See you all then!**

 **Chapter 20: Ladies and Gentleman...Serena Gabena!**

 _Will all legendary Pokemon get a chance to shine?_

 _ **Yes. They will.  
**_

 _This answers have the questions about Ash-Greninja._

 ** _It will happen eventually, but not anytime soon. To me, something like that should only happen when Ash has reached his maximum potential (or close to it). He's nowhere near that level yet._**


	20. Ladies and Gentleman! Serena Gabena!

**A/N: Great news, everyone! Another milestone has been reached. The Orange Islands arc is now officially complete! Now the only thing left to do is post the remaining chapters! Maybe one every few days from now on. It depends on how busy I am. Nevertheless, there at least won't be two weeks in between update times. As usual, I'm going to take a small break before I start the Johto arc. I'm really excited about it so I hope all of you are, too! For now, just enjoy the last few chapters of the Orange Islands arc!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 20: Ladies and Gentleman…Serena Gabena!

Ash was almost bursting with excitement as the group neared their next destination. It was none other than Pummelo Island, which would be the sight of the Orange League. It was still a few days away, but the group had basically exhausted all of the other islands so there really wasn't much else to go, and there were a couple of other things to do, also. Still, Ash had no problem with this. He could get a head start and show all of his Pokemon what they'll be up against.

"It's Pummelo Island! I can hardly wait!" Ash shouted.

"Laaaaa!" Lapras cried out. It wasn't unusual for Lapras to cry out in agreement for Ash. This one, however, was different. It could actually sense other Lapras in the vicinity. They were still a little far off, but it could still tell they were there.

"Excited, too, huh Lapras? Well, none of us would be here if it wasn't for you. You're the best!" Ash told it.

"Laaaaa!" Lapras cried out again.

"Anyways, this is the time where I can train my Pokemon the hardest. These last few days are going to be intense. Are you ready, Pikachu?" Ash asked the yellow rodent.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried as it pumped its fists.

"Toge, Toge!" Togepi added.

"You said it! I'm not going to settle for Top Four this time. I'm here to win it! My Pokemon and I have worked too hard to settle," Ash said.

"We know you can do it, Ash. There's an Orange League Trophy there with your name it!" Leaf smiled.

"Yep! I can't wait to show my Mom and Dad when I win!" Ash replied.

"Careful, Ash. Don't get ahead of yourself. I know you have what it takes to win, too, but…," Misty started.

"Right, Misty. I know. I'm just so excited!" Ash shouted again.

"Oh, wow!" Serena suddenly gasped, which drew the others' attention. She was looking down at her Pokegear and was utterly surprised.

"What's up, Serena?" Ash asked as he sat down next to Serena.

"I can't believe it. My Pokevision video has actually received over one million views!" Serena exclaimed.

"A million views?!" the others gasped. Even Lapras turned around to stare in mild surprise at Serena.

"Yeah. I remember everyone saying my Pokevision video was good, but I never knew it would be so popular in such a short time," Serena said. "Something had to have helped boost its publicity. There is no way I could get that many views from the Pokevision website."

"What makes you say that? You're Pokevision video was great, and people enjoy it. Have more faith in yourself, Serena," Leaf smiled.

"Hmmm…," Serena mused.

"Still, if you ask me, I say you have a knack for this, Serena. You should consider doing more Pokevision. I bet with all of the views you've received, it caught attention of someone pretty important. That's the point of those videos in the first place," Misty told her.

"That would be nice, but I don't think I'd get that lucky," Serena replied with a light laugh.

"I bet something good is going to happen to both of us while we're here, Serena. Count on it!" Ash grinned as he placed his arm around Serena's shoulder.

Serena leaned into his shoulder contently, but inwardly she sighed. She couldn't believe her Pokevision video had gotten a million views. Was it really that good? If she were to make another Pokevision video, how would that one play out? Would it do just as well, or would it be a total dud? Furthermore, even if it had captured the attention of a celebrity, what on Earth were the chances of Serena meeting one with as much traveling as they did? The odds were slim indeed. It was almost quite silly to think Serena would get that lucky.

"Woah! Check that out!" Tracey exclaimed as the group turned to see what had drawn his attention.

A winged being was flying across the waters at breakneck speed. It let its feet touch the water before it zipped back towards the sky. It was rather far off, but the group could tell what it was after staring for a few seconds.

"That was a Dragonite," Ash muttered as he recalled his own recently evolved one.

"Do you think it's a wild one?" Misty questioned.

"I doubt it. Dragonite are already extremely rare as it is. If that one was wild, I don't think it would be showing itself so openly like this," Tracey rebutted.

"So it belongs to someone on this island," Ash figured.

"I just thought of something. Luana said that the leader of the Orange Crew is one of the best trainers around, and few people ever beat him. What if that Dragonite was his? It would definitely add a lot of power to his team," Leaf realized.

"Hmmm…even if he does have a Dragonite, I can still beat him," Ash said.

"Speaking of which, are you going to use your own Dragonite in this match, Ash?" Tracey wondered. The others looked on in curiosity, as well.

"Of course!" Ash answered with a smile. "Dragonite's been itching for a big battle ever since it evolved so it can show me how much it's learned. What better way than to use it for this match?"

"That's quite uncharacteristic of it. Normally, it's too scared to battle," Misty recalled as she thought of all of its battles in the past.

"Yeah, but Dragonite's really grown up. Ever since my battle with Luana, it's had a lot more confidence in itself. It really did once it evolved. Once my Charizard fainted, Dragonite was there to help fend off all of those capture devices and then fly me to Ice Island," Ash smiled.

"I think it's safe to say that Dragonite has gotten over its shyness now. It knows it has a great trainer like you and great friends in all of your Pokemon. You've helped it so much," Serena told Ash.

"Yeah. I can't wait to see it in action," Ash nodded before he turned to Lapras and rubbed its neck. "Hey, Lapras. If it's okay, would you consider battling in the Orange League? I bet you would have a lot of fun."

Lapras looked down as if it were in thought. It could still sense the other Lapras around, but they still weren't close. If it heard correctly, the Orange League tournament was still a few days away. The Lapras in the area would be gone by then. Would Ash let it look in the approaching school so it could search for its family? It almost got a troubled look on its face which didn't go unnoticed by Ash.

"Hey, Lapras. Is something wrong? If you don't want to battle, you can just say so. It won't hurt my feelings at all," Ash reassured as he looked at Lapras in slight concern.

What would Ash think? Of course Ash would let it look for its family. That's the main reason why they were traveling together in the first place. It owed the raven-haired boy a lot. If it turned out the school of Lapras didn't have its parents, it would definitely help Ash battle. The transport Pokemon then got a mischievous look and flung its head in the water which caused some to splash on Ash, getting him quite wet.

"Hahahaha! Cut it out, Lapras!" Ash laughed before he smiled at it and attempted to wring out his clothes. "So I take that as a yes?"

"Laaaa!" Lapras nodded.

"So I guess you have three Pokemon decided already for the six on six battle," Tracey commented. "Got any idea on who your other three are?"

"No idea!" Ash grinned which caused the others to face fault.

That was okay, though. The Orange League was still days away, and Ash had plenty of time. The choice of Pokemon he was going to use shouldn't be taken lightly. He would be going up against extremely hard trainers here. Each choice was extremely critical, and Ash had no room to make a single mistake here. He knew by the time the tournament came, he would have the perfect team.

* * *

Once the group made it onshore, they decided to immediately head for the Pokemon Center. For a huge tournament that was going to be taking place in a few days, it sure wasn't very crowded. It rather surprised them with how deserted the place was. That was okay, though, as it ensured the group had a room. Granted, since Ash would be a challenger, the Pokemon Center would find some way to squeeze them in, but it was still more convenient this way. However, the group soon learned why the Pokemon Center wasn't busy.

"Oh. Hello, there. Welcome to the Pokemon Center," Nurse Joy smiled.

"Hi, there, Nurse Joy. We'd like two rooms and a checkup for our Pokemon," Ash requested politely.

"Certainly," Nurse Joy replied before she added as an afterthought. "So I take it all of you are about to head up to Pummelo Stadium to watch the Pokemon Performance there like everyone else?"

"A Pokemon Performance?" Serena questioned, intrigued.

Nurse Joy looked at the group in surprise. "Oh? You didn't know? Today's performance is actually very special as the world famous Pokemon Performer, Aria, is performing today. People came from all parts of the Orange Islands in hopes to meet her or at least see her in person."

"Aria," Serena muttered.

"Anyway, all of you just missed the huge crowd. If you were here about thirty minutes ago, I don't think you would've been able to fit through the door," Nurse Joy smiled. "Everybody left all at once to go see her. If you hurry, you still might make it."

"I say we go, guys. It isn't every day we'll get to see a world famous performer!" Leaf suggested in excitement.

"That sounds great! I'll bet Aria is as graceful as water, just like Lorelei," Misty grinned.

"I bet I could get some great sketches from a performer like that," Tracey added as he rubbed his chin in thought.

Serena, meanwhile, was having a hard time processing this. A famous performer was actually here on the island, right now? About to perform?! She had to see this! She had gotten a taste of what performances were like on Mandarin Island, but they wouldn't be much compared to what this girl, Aria, could do! Seeing her just might be the inspiration she needs to see if she could do performances!

"Definitely!" Serena shouted while she grinned broadly.

"Well, what are we waiting for, guys? Let's see what this Aria is about," Ash said as he adjusted his cap.

With that, the group left their Pokemon, save Pikachu and Togepi, with Nurse Joy and hurried out the door. As soon as they stepped outside, they turned and saw a very large stadium in the distance. That must be the Pummelo Stadium, not only where Aria was performing right now, but also where Ash would be competing in the Orange League. They couldn't wait to check it out!

The group ran down the path which presumably lead to the stadium. As they got closer, they began to slow a little as they started to see the long line that was extending from the stadium. Oh boy. This explained where everyone was now. There had to be people on the island that were here for both the Orange League and Aria's performance, which would make the stadium extra packed. Getting a seat might take a while. With that, the group slowed to a walk when they were almost upon the line and did the only thing they could do…wait.

Leaf then looked over at Serena as she realized something. "Hey, Serena. Wouldn't it be cool if Aria had seen your Pokevision video? I mean…it did have over one million views. Who's to say that she wasn't one of those? I bet if you were to meet with her, she could really help you with a few pointers on what you might be good at."

"Oh. Heheheh. I don't think that will happen," Serena muttered as she turned away and blushed. "Aria's probably an extremely busy person and wouldn't have time to meet me. Besides, there are so many other people here so the chances of that happening are really small."

"I bet if she saw your Pokevision video, she would want to see you," Leaf replied.

"No. I think I'll just watch and learn more about Pokemon performing that way. Who knows, I may make another Pokevision video after I learn a little more," Serena shrugged.

"Whatever you decide to do, Serena, I'm with you!" Ash grinned.

Serena then smiled sweetly at him and gave him cute look. "Does that mean you would be willing to do a Pokevision video with me this time, Ash?"

"Uhhhh…about that," Ash uttered as his grin turned upside down and sweat dropped, Pikachu doing the same. They still remembered the near disaster of the last video because Ash kept blabbering.

"I don't think Serena is serious, Ash. You might end up embarrassing her if you were in a video with her," Misty said, also remembering Ash's attempt to make Pokevision.

"Hey!" Ash shouted indignantly while Pikachu and Togepi laughed.

* * *

It took a while, but the group finally made it in the stadium. As they looked for their seats, Ash was taking in how large the stadium was. This whole stadium would be home to the grounds where he would have his most important matches to date. It may be used for something else today, but that would be its main purpose. Ash wanted to know as much about this stadium as he could so he began studying any places here that could be used as an advantage.

"Ladies and gentleman! I am Mossier Francois! Please enjoy the special performance done today by the world famous Pokemon Performer, Aria!" another man with a French accent called through a microphone

"Are you coming, Ash? It's about to start," Serena called when she found out he had slowed down a little.

"Yeah. Sorry," Ash replied as he hurried to catch up. He could study the stadium later when there weren't so many people.

The group sat down, and once they did, they saw a small flame fly across the stadium. Everyone let out a gasp once that happened, but it soon died down when they realized the ball of flame wasn't intended for them. It landed in the middle of the stadium, and it was soon followed by another. Everyone watched in curiosity as more and more fireballs began flying into the stadium from a corner until they all formed a ring.

"Here it comes!" Serena squealed, hardly able to contain her excitement now.

A figure then made a massive leap into the center of the stadium, flipping through the air as it did so. Once it landed, it struck a pose, which caused the audience to erupt into applause. The group tilted their heads in curiosity at the being as they realized it was Pokemon they had never seen before.

The Pokemon stood on two legs and resembled a fox with yellow fur. Its legs were black and it had a bushy tail. The most notable trait about it was the twig that appeared to be stuck in its tail. The Pokemon then took the twig out of its tail and began to wave it around, creating a spiral of flames.

"I wonder what that is," Ash commented as he, Serena, and Leaf, took out their national dexes to scan it.

"Braixen, the fox Pokemon. By using the friction in its tail, Braixen is able to ignite the twig it carries to use attacks," the National dexes spoke.

"A Braixen? I've never heard of that Pokemon before," Ash said as he studied it.

"It's actually from the Kalos region, Ash," Serena told him. "If I'm not mistaken, its pre-evolved form is used as a starter. Seeing this Braixen almost makes me feel a little nostalgic."

"So it's a Kalos Pokemon, huh?" Ash mused. Man, the region from where Serena was from sure had some cool looking Pokemon. It would be hard to decide which region to travel to next.

The group then saw an opening appear from the ground in the center where the flames were. The black outline of a person slowly rose up until their whole body was out. The flames than exploded outward, and the person revealed was none other than Aria. She then struck a pose which caused the crowd to erupt into applause now that she had finally appeared.

Serena's eyes sparkled once she saw Aria. She was so beautiful. If Serena could see some of the things Aria could do, that might be the inspiration she needs to decide her goal. This would truly be a sight to see. She unknowingly leaned forward in her anticipation.

"Okay, Braixen. Let's do it!" Aria shouted.

The Braixen gave a cry of agreement before it tossed the fiery twig it was holding at Aria. The twig left spirals of flames through the air. They were even in different colors. The crowd watched in interest as it got closer to Aria. The girl leaped into the air and caught the stick on the unlit side which caused everyone to applaud once more. Aria then began to twirl the twig like a baton before she threw it back at the Braixen.

Braixen caught the stick and threw it back to Aria as the process repeated itself a few times. The swirls of flames were getting larger and wider as they threw it flawlessly back and forth. At last, Aria smiled and shouted out to her Braxien.

"Great, Braixen! Now use Fire Blast!" she cried.

The fox Pokemon then waved its stick as if it were casting a spell. A powerful stream of fire then came from the stick before it exploded outward in sparkles once again. The person and Pokemon duo then struck a pose as the audience cheered again. They then both bowed and waved to the crowd as it continued on.

Serena's mouth was completely open at what had just transpired. So that was what Pokemon performing was like. That was completely amazing! How on Earth was she supposed to compete with something like that? Was everyone who competed in Pokemon performing able to pull of stunts like this? Well, probably not, but still, that looked like a lot of work. She didn't quite know what to make of Pokemon performing after that display. Did she even have what it took?

"Hey, Serena. What did you think of that performance?" Ash asked from beside her.

"It was simply…incredible," Serena muttered, but it wasn't in the tone Ash was expecting from her.

"Are you okay, Serena?" Ash asked in concern.

"Uh…yeah. I'll be fine," Serena answered.

* * *

Everyone was now filing out Pummelo Stadium. That had been quite the show. Even Ash had enjoyed it even though it wasn't his thing. Leaf and Misty, on the other hand, hadn't stopped talking about Aria since they got up from their seats.

"Oh, my gosh! Did you see how graceful Aria was?! I don't think I've ever seen someone move so beautifully in my life!" Leaf exclaimed.

"I know, and her Braixen was so adorable! I can only imagine how much it had to train to get its flames to shoot different colors!" Misty agreed.

"I got some great sketches of those two! I can't wait to show Professor Oak!" Tracey added, somehow bringing the elderly Professor into the conversation.

"Hey, Serena. You haven't said much since we left. I thought you would've had a lot to say after seeing a performance like that," Misty commented.

Serena was merely walking along with a thoughtful expression on her face as she looked towards the sky. Her hands were folded behind her back as she went through everything in her head. After reading so much about it, Serena had been at a crossroads about deciding if that's what she really wanted to do. She had hoped that seeing a performance from Aria would inspire her, but all it really did was worry her. Serena had never tried anything like that before and was used to battling Pokemon. It was how she had conquered the Battle Chateau. Did she have what it takes?

"Yeah. I think I'm going to take a little walk. I have some thinking to do," Serena answered.

Her friends nodded their heads in understanding. That was only natural she needed some alone to time to think with just her and her Pokemon. They needed to make the decision together to see if they would be up for it.

"You got it, Serena. We'll be at the Pokemon Center," Leaf said.

"Actually," Ash interrupted, "I think I'm going to take a walk myself. I need to decide which Pokemon would do the best here in the Orange League."

"Piiiika," Pikachu agreed.

"Toge, Toge?" Togepi asked its daddy.

"Of course you can come along, Togepi. You're going to help me decide," Ash smiled as he tossed it into the air playfully, to which it laughed.

"Alright, then. We'll see you guys later on," Leaf nodded.

The group of friends then went their separate ways. One of them trying to make a decision that would greatly affect her future while another was choosing how to play out his most important match to date. Serena then chanced a look at Ash as they left. He had an absolutely determined look on his face as he walked away from them. Yes. Ash was making a hard decision, too, but he didn't appear the least bit worried. With that in mind, Serena knew she shouldn't either. She and her Pokemon would decide together, and she knew no matter which decision she chose, it would be the right one.

* * *

Serena was walking along the main street of Pummelo Island and occasionally looked inside of the shop's windows. She wasn't browsing for clothes, but she didn't want to appear as if she was just wandering around aimlessly, which was exactly what she was doing. Right now, Serena was just gathering her thoughts about what had went on in her life the past year. She conquered the Battle Chateau, and then that goal was completed. Then Calem introduced her to a new career that was actually native to her home region of Kalos and was catching on quite fast, Pokemon Performing. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful to Calem for this, but there was so much uncertainty.

Serena sat down at a nearby outside table and let out her Charla. The fire dragon let out a small roar and looked around for its boyfriend but didn't see it anywhere. Charla then turned to Serena and saw the troubled look on her face, and it instantly was concerned for its trainer. It pushed aside its thoughts of Ash's Charizard for now and focused on its trainer. Serena's needs came first. Serena saw her Charla was willing to listen and spoke what was on her mind.

"Hey, Charla. You were my first Pokemon, and I really want your honest opinion on this. What do think about Pokemon Performing?" Serena asked it.

Charla raised its eyebrow at this and thought a moment. The truth was when it was a Charmander and a Charmeleon, fashion was all it ever worried about besides impressing its boyfriend. Now, however, its love for fashion and looking good had mellowed out a little bit. It had seen a few performances on television when it was at Professor Oak's lab, but nothing stood out to it. Charla much preferred to battle now that it had reached its maximum strength. Its silence told Serena what she wanted to hear.

"…I see. So you're not that crazy about it, are you?" Serena figured as she rested her head in her palm and let out a sigh.

Charla gave a remorseful look to its trainer that it didn't give the answer she was wanting. Had she asked it in its pre-evolved forms, it probably would've jumped at the opportunity. Just because it wasn't crazy about the idea, however, didn't mean it wouldn't do it for Serena. Its trainer had made sacrifices for it, and Charla could make sacrifices for its trainer. Charla knew without a doubt that Serena would be great at Pokemon Performing if she tried it. Maybe it had answered her incorrectly. Charla then gave a small roar of encouragement to Serena.

"Oh? You still think I'd be incredible at Pokemon Performing, and that I should try it, even though it isn't your favorite thing? That's what you're saying?" Serena guess as she raised her head a little bit.

Charla puffed in agreement.

"Heehee. Thanks, Charla, but I could never ask you to do something you don't want to do," Serena said as she gave the fire-type a slight hug, and they resumed walking together.

Charla gave small huff and hugged Serena back. What could it actually do in Pokemon performing anyway? It was a big, scary, dragon now which would probably scare the audience and cause a fire hazard if it wasn't careful. It was sure Serena still had plenty of Pokemon in her arsenal that were willing to try it. Charla gave a nod to Serena's pokeballs to let her know that.

Serena looked at her own pokeballs and thought for a minute. Which Pokemon of hers had a knack for performing rather than battling? Scyther and Fearow were definitely out of the picture. She remembered had mortified they were when they were in Pokevision video together and were wearing the frilly clothes for a brief second for comedic effect. There was no way. Hitmonlee was probably out, too. Its strengths definitely lay in its mind and teaching martial arts. Pokemon performing wasn't for it. Omanyte wouldn't know what to do.

Poliwag was…ugh. She really needed to train that troll. Just a few nights ago, it had sprinkled a Water Gun on Tracey's sleeping bag while he was asleep. The poor Pokemon Watcher thought he had peed in his sleeping bag while he slept. Poliwag had gotten a good scolding from Serena for that, not that it cared.

Then there was the other half of her team. Jigglypuff loved to sing and be the center of attention. It would do well. Well, Jigglypuff loved to battle, also. Gloom loved to dance and has made it clear before that it didn't like fighting. Yeah. It would love to be on stage, too. If it settled down, her Eevee would be a great performer, too. Battling wasn't really its calling. With its psychic powers, Slowking could probably pull off some amazing things. Nidorina was rather unwieldy for battling and preferred to be on the sidelines quite often. Cubone was…she was unsure and would have to ask it.

Her Pokemon were pretty evenly split. Half of them preferred battling, and half of them would clearly do better at performing? Which should she do? Should she try to fix what isn't broken or shift her focus from battling to something else? If she did, what if it turned out she wasn't any good? What would she do then? Furthermore, if she were to do performing,the Pokemon performing would need a lead Pokemon, and from what Serena knew, none of them had any leadership capabilities except for Slowking.

"Ugh! This is too hard!" Serena cried out in frustration.

"What's too hard? Are you trying to decide between those two hats?" a voice asked from the side of Serena.

Serena and Charla turned and jumped in surprise when they saw another person was right next to them. How long had she been there? Did she teleport next to them?

The new person saw the strange expression on Serena and Charla's face before she giggled and explained herself. "I'm sorry. I saw you and your Charizard were standing in front of this shop looking at those hats. I thought you were trying to decide which hat would look best on you and your Pokemon."

Serena soon realized what the girl meant. She and her Charizard had unknowingly stopped in front of this shop window as Serena started thinking about which of her Pokemon would be better at what? To someone who didn't know what she was doing, it probably did appear that way. Then to cry out in frustration was probably a little strange to a passerby which had probably grabbed this girl's attention. Serena blushed in embarrassment before she gave her answer.

"No. I was actually just thinking about something," Serena muttered.

"Aww…try not to look so down," the girl said.

"Huh?" Serena questioned as she and her Charizard looked at the girl and wondered why she was telling them this.

"If you do, your poor face will stay that way," the girl explained with a smile and a wink. "Always keep smiling! That's the secret to looking and feeling great!"

Serena chuckled slightly and took in this time to take in the girl's appearance. She appeared slightly older than her, maybe fifteen or sixteen. She had red hair that split of into two pigtails. She wore black glasses and a hat. Serena rose her eyebrows slightly. Didn't she know this girl from somewhere? She looked reeaaally familiar.

"Hey! I know! Why don't we shift gears and do some shopping together? That should take you and your Pokemon's mind off of your troubles for a little while!" the girl suggested.

"Well…but why?" Serena wondered. This girl seemed very nice, but a little eccentric.

"It's because I finally have some time off from my schedule. I bet there are some shops here on Pummelo Island that could use some visiting. I've been wanting to try them! We could get you a new outfit, too!" the girl answered.

Serena looked down at her current clothing and studied it. She had worn this type of clothing ever since she had been traveling in the Orange Islands. Truthfully, it wasn't that much different from her last outfit. The only difference was this one had a blue and white color palette as opposed to red and black. Maybe she could use a change.

"Sooo…please?" the girl continued as she clasped her hands and gave a pleading look to Serena.

Serena and Charla glanced at each other before they shrugged their shoulders. Charla then gave a nod to Serena and a small puff of agreement. It didn't sense any hostility with his girl, and it agreed with her. Maybe some nice shopping would take Serena's mind off of her current worries and allow her to think more clearly. Since Charla wasn't into shopping anymore, this girl could fill that role temporarily.

"Okay! Sure!" Serena replied with a smile of her own this time.

"Excellent! My name is A….Ariana! Nice to meet you!" the girl chirped even though there was a slight hesitation in revealing her name. Serena chose to ignore it, though.

"I'm Serena! It's nice to meet you!" Serena answered back. Charla gave a grunt of greeting, too.

"Great! So let's go, Serena! The stores await!" Ariana urged as she gently grabbed Serena by the hand for emphasis to get going.

"Right!" Serena agreed as she returned Charla, and the two girls set off.

Even though it was a bit strange, Serena's instincts told her to go ahead and trust this girl. Charla approved of Ariana, after all. Even though she was sure she had never met this girl before, there was just the distinct feeling of knowing who she was that wouldn't go away. Maybe if she spent more time with this girl, she could figure it out. Regardless, they were about to go shopping. Serena might be able to think more clearly after that.

* * *

"Wow, Pikachu. Check out this stadium," Ash muttered to the yellow rodent as she looked around in awe.

"Chuuuuu," Pikachu replied as it followed Ash's gaze.

Ash, Togepi, and Pikachu were in the Pummelo Stadium. It had long since cleared out since Aria's performance from earlier. Now he finally had the opportunity to study it properly. The more he knew, the better. Not to mention this was a great place to think by himself about how to go about with this match and who to use. Well, there was one other person in the stadium who seemed to merely be staring off in the distance, but he was minding his own business and wouldn't pose any bother to Ash.

"Toge, Toge," Togepi chirped as it wanted to be set down from its daddy's arms.

"Oh. Okay. Sure, Togepi," Ash said as he set it down next to him.

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu pointed.

"Huh?" Ash wondered as he looked to see where Pikachu was pointing and raised his eyebrows in interest.

On top of the front side of Pummelo Stadium was something Ash hadn't noticed before. A large Dragonite statue rested majestically on top of it. Ash and Pikachu stared in awe at the Dragonite statue. Its appearance slightly reminded Ash of the Dragonite they had seen earlier on the way to Pummelo Island. Something was telling Ash that this was no mere coincidence. This was apparently a very revered Dragonites to have a statue erected in its honor.

"So do you think we'll be going up against a Dragonite, Pikachu?" Ash wondered.

"Piiiika," Pikachu replied.

"Yeah. Me, too. I know I have my own Dragonite to go against it to fight fire with fire, but this one has had a lot of battles in its time…and probably a lot of victories, too," Ash reminded.

"Chu! Pikachu!" Pikachu encouraged.

"Yeah. We have a lot of victories, too. We have what it takes to be the Orange League champion. We'll win this for sure…and make my Mom and Dad proud," Ash said the last part rather quietly. He was a Ketchum, and it was actually his Dad where Ash got the quote, "Never give up until the end".

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said in determination.

"Yep! How about you, Togepi?" Ash asked as he went to look down at it, but found it wasn't there. How did Togepi manage to sneak away like that so often?

"Togepi?" Ash questioned as he briefly looked around for it and soon got his answer.

The spike ball Pokemon had wandered away from him and Pikachu had gone over to the only other person in the stadium. Ash hurried over to where Togepi was and saw the man was knelt in front of Togepi and smiling down at it. Upon seeing Ash was approaching, the man stood up and folded his arms as he waited.

As Ash got closer, he could make out the man's features. The young man was tall and appeared quite muscular but by no means large in body size. He had jet black hair that was stacked sort of high and had black eyes. He seemed to have an air of superiority around him for some reason.

Ash reached the two and gave an apologetic look to the man. "Sorry about that. That Togepi was mine. I set it down for one second, and it decided to wander off."

"No. It's no trouble at all. I can tell that Togepi is well taken care of," the man replied as he waved a hand dismissively.

"So are you just here to take a look around the stadium like me?" Ash asked as he picked up Togepi to hold it in his arms.

"As a matter of fact, I am. Also, I'm waiting for my partner to get here," the man answered and gestured to a pokeball attached to a chain around his neck.

"Your partner?" Ash echoed and deduced it was a Pokemon due to the man having referred to a pokeball.

"That's correct," the man replied before he changed topics. "Based on what you said about checking out the stadium, I'm going to guess that you're a challenge in the Orange League."

"Hey! I actually am! My name is Ash, by the way!" Ash spoke up excitedly.

"Congratulations, Ash. I bet it took a lot of effort to make it here and beat all four members of the Orange Crew. You must be a great trainer," the man approved.

"Yeah, but I could never have done it without my great Pokemon. We've trained so hard to make it this far and will give it everything we've got to win," Ash said as he cast a glance at Pikachu.

"That's right. Your Pokemon respond to how you treat them. I bet they all love you a lot," the man smiled.

"Yeah," Ash agreed before he spoke again. "So are you a challenger of the Orange League, too?"

"I guess you could say that," the man replied with a glint in his eye.

At that moment, a black shape soon filled up the sky. Ash and the man looked up into the sky see a being hurtling towards them at breakneck speed. Ash's eyes widened when he saw it was actually a Dragonite heading their way. The Pokemon continued to speed towards them until it slowed and landed right next to the man. The man reached up and rubbed Dragonite's snout.

"Hey, Dragonite. Did you have a nice flight?" he asked it, to which the Dragonite gave a cry of confirmation.

"Wait a minute. You own a Dragonite, too?" Ash asked in amazement.

"I sure do, so I guess that means you have one?" the man returned.

"I do, but still…," Ash uttered before he realized something. "Wait a minute. I think I saw that Dragonite as I was coming towards the island."

"You probably did. My Dragonite loves to exercise every morning and stretch its wings, especially before a big match," the man smiled.

Ash's eyes widened. So this Dragonite belonged to this man. He turned and whipped his head around at the statue up high behind him and turned back around to the man and Dragonite in front of him. Pikachu must have also realized the same thing as Ash as it got a determined look on its face.

"So wait. That Dragonite is the same one as the statue on the stadium so that must mean…," Ash began.

"That's right. I'm the Orange League Champion and Leader of the Orange Crew! My name is Drake!" the man introduced. The Dragonite also nodded its head at Ash, Pikachu, and Togepi.

"The champion of the Orange League. You're supposed to be the best trainer around, and your Pokemon are known for their strength. Hardly anyone ever beats you. The last person to beat you was five years ago, and…," Ash blabbed.

"Hahahaha! Yes! I know, but don't let that discourage you, Ash. I am definitely looking forward to battling you, assuming you'll pass the preliminaries. I wish you the best of luck," Drake said as he extended his hand for Ash to shake.

"Yeah. Me, too. You better watch out, Drake. I don't plan on losing," Ash nodded.

"Nice attitude, Ash," Drake nodded before he hopped on his Dragonite. "Well, I've got to be off. Train hard, and you'll have what it takes."

"Thanks, Drake. Be on the lookout for me on the field!" Ash grinned.

"Heh. I think I will," Drake replied before his Dragonite took off with him on top of it, probably so they could go train somewhere. Ash, Pikachu, and Togepi watched him until he was out of sight.

"So that was Drake, the leader of the Orange Crew," Ash mused before he turned to Pikachu and Togepi. "Alright. So I know who I'm up against. This confirmed that Drake does have a Dragonite that's very powerful, but we have a powerful team, too. What do you say?! Are we in?!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out in agreement.

"Togepriiii!" Togepi added, even though it wouldn't be competing.

* * *

Serena and Ariana had just entered another clothing store from what Serena was sure would be many more. They had already been to two. Ariana had probably tried on everything in the store while Serena mostly stood to the side and watched. It wasn't that she didn't want to shop. She was just simply amazed at how much more of a shopper Ariana was, and also because she was still trying to deduce how she knew this girl. She had a guess, but it was too far out there.

"So what do you think?!" Ariana asked as she struck a pose in another outfit.

"As usual, they all look great on you," Serena chuckled.

"Thanks!" Ariana replied before she turned to a mirror to see herself. She then smiled and turned back to Serena. "You know, you look familiar. I've seen you in a Pokevision video before!"

"Oh? You have?" Serena inquired, a bit surprised. So there were people who recognized her, after all.

"I sure did! It was really good! Have you made any others since then?" Ariana asked.

"Well, no," Serena muttered as she looked to the side in embarrassment.

"I'm a little surprised. You seem to have a natural talent for that. I bet you would do great at things like performances or contests," Ariana commented.

Serena perked up at that. So someone besides her circle of friends said that she would be good at something like that. It wasn't like she didn't value their opinion, but of course Ash, her mom, or Leaf would say those things. To have someone she just met say that was rather interesting. Still that didn't mean she wasn't at a crossroads with how her Pokemon felt about performances or contests.

"You know, that was actually exactly what I was thinking about when I met you," Serena admitted before she saddened a little. "I've been trying to find my calling in life for a while now. I love battling, but Pokemon performing seems fun, too. My Pokemon are divided on the issue, though, so it doesn't make my choice any easier. Not to mention, being as great as Aria is a hard act follow."

"Hey. You're looking sad again, Serena. You can do anything you set your mind to," Ariana said softly as she went over to stand in front of her. "Who says you can't do both?"

"Huh? What?" Serena stuttered.

"I said…why can't you do both?" Ariana repeated with a smile. "If you say you love battling, but performances sound interesting, too, then do both! You say you're Pokemon are divided? That's perfect! You can use the ones that don't want to battle for performances, and the ones that don't want to perform for battles!"

Serena stared at Ariana in surprise. Do both? That was rather strange. Didn't people normally stick to just one career path? To have two would be rather confusing. Besides, despite Ariana's words, Serena still wasn't sure how she would fare at performances.

"I don't know a lot about performances, however. I just saw the Queen Aria perform today. I'm sure you did, too. The way she was one with her Pokemon and in perfect sync with them. I want to be just like her, but I don't even know where to start," Serena said.

"Don't try to be like someone else, Serena. Always be yourself, just like you were in that Pokevision video. Go at your own pace," Ariana encouraged with a wink.

"So if I did want to do Pokemon performances, where do I start?" Serena wondered.

"You start by finding you and your Pokemon's strengths, of course!" Ariana smiled before she turned to walk back to the dressing room. "Once we leave this store, I have someone I want you to meet. They'll be able to help me get a great outfit for you at the next store, and we can go from there!"

While Ariana was changing, Serena was left to ponder her thoughts again. It actually did sound rather crazy to choose both performances and battling for her career. At the same time, however, it did make perfect sense. She could appeal to all of her Pokemons' needs that way. For someone who just seemed to be a shop-a-holic, this Ariana girl sure knew a lot. Serena was glad she had ran into her. She never seemed to get angry about anything and was being so nice. Still, there was that nagging feeling that Serena had still seen her. A thought of who it could be came to her again, but she quickly pushed it aside because it was absurd. Yeah right.

* * *

"Here it is, Serena! Say hello to Fennekin!" Ariana announced cheerfully as she pulled out a pokeball and released the new Pokemon.

Serena raised her eyebrows in surprise as she didn't know Ariana was a trainer. Then again, it was probably something that Serena just didn't notice. As Serena looked at Ariana's belt, she noticed another pokeball attached besides the one she had just released a Fennekin from. Serena briefly wondered what other Pokemon was in there but pushed it aside for now.

The Fennekin appeared from its pokeball before it let out a small yawn, and its eyes found Serena. It was a fox-like Pokemon that stood on four legs. It had tufts of dark orange fur coming from its ears and had pale yellow fur with a white muzzle. The honey-blonde girl smiled broadly at it. So Ariana had a Kalos native Pokemon? That was really cool! Seeing a Braixen, its evolved form, was rare enough, but now she saw two in the same day. Serena took out her national dex to scan the starter Kalos Pokemon.

"Fennekin, the fox Pokemon. Fennekin expels hot flames from its mouth that reach up to four hundred degrees and likes to snack on twigs," the national dex informed.

"Oh, this Fennekin is so cute!" Serena cooed as she knelt down to it.

Fennekin smiled at Serena's compliment.

"Fennekin, our friend Serena needs some help finding new clothes. Being the fashion expert you are, you don't mind, do you?" Ariana asked brightly.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin nodded enthusiastically.

"This Fennekin is good with fashion?" Serena asked in an interested tone as she looked up at Aria.

"Yes. It is. You may not believe this, but I've actually had a couple of arguments with this Fennekin over which outfit looks best," Ariana giggled.

"Well, in that case, I'm Serena, Fennekin. Lead the way," Serena said brightly.

"Fennn!" it replied as it turned and took off with Serena and Ariana chasing after it.

After about thirty seconds, the Fennekin took a sharp turn and stopped at a nearby store. It then beckoned Serena and Ariana over before it pointed at the door. The two girls stopped in front of the store and took a good look at it.

"Well, Fennekin says we should go in here so come on," Ariana said as she walked in with the fox Pokemon.

As Serena watched the two go in, she wondered what on Earth this Pokemon would think is a good outfit. Would they agree on it? Furthermore, exactly what were Fennekin and Ariana trying to find for Serena anyway? Serena figured it was something very particular since Ariana didn't point anything out to Serena at the other stores. Another thing. Why did Ariana want Serena to meet this Fennekin and have it guide her to a new outfit? There had to be a motive for this.

Serena followed the two in the department store, and she immediately saw that Fennekin wasn't wasting anytime. It would dart around from one clothes rack to the next. If it saw something it liked, it would nod to Ariana before it would dash to the next. Serena watched in awe at this scene before Ariana noticed her just standing there and gave a smile to her.

"Why don't you go with Fennekin and see what it wants to pick out for you? Spend some time with it," Ariana suggested with a smile.

 _"Spend time with it. Why?_ " Serena wondered, but did so regardless.

The honey-blonde girl walked over to the Fennekin who was inspecting another clothes rack. Upon seeing Serena, the fox Pokemon smiled at her before it went back to searching. Serena smiled back before she decided to talk to it a little.

"So Fennekin, Ariana told me that you are really good with fashion, do you have a favorite type of outfit that you like to wear?" Serena asked it.

"Fennn!" it replied as it gestured to Ariana.

"Oh wait. I think I have a picture on my Pokegear," Ariana said as she fished out her Pokegear and thumbed through a few pictures. Once she found what she was looking for, she showed Serena. Serena looked at the picture and smiled.

Fennekin was dressed in an elegant pink dress with a whit hat on top similar to Serena's own hat. It had blue beads that adorned its tail and a small pink ribbon around its neck. Serena turned and grinned at Fennekin.

"Wow, Fennekin. I'd say you have great tastes! I love it!" Serena told it, to which Fennekin smiled back and nodded its head.

"Yeah. This Fennekin loves to look its best at all times!" Ariana chimed in.

"Hey! I do, too!" Serena replied.

"Fennekin!" the Kalos starter said happily before it went back to looking for clothes.

After a while of searching, Serena and Fennekin seemed to have found what they were looking for, and Serena went to change. Surprisingly, whenever Fennekin would show something to Serena that it liked, Serena wouldn't object as she liked the choice, too! It was rather amazing that she and this Fennekin agreed on so many things when it came to fashion. Serena also learned that the little fox Pokemon loved sweets just like she did, as well. If one didn't know better, he or she would think Fennekin was Serena's Pokemon rather than Ariana's.

Serena came out a few minutes later dressed in her new attire. She had on a pink sleeveless dress that went down to her mid-thigh with a red sleeveless vest over it. She still wore her black knee-high socks, but instead of the black shoes she usually wore, she now had on brown boots. She looked in the mirror and did a twirl in front of Ariana and Fennekin.

"So how do I look?" she asked with a smile.

"You look great Serena, but it's missing one thing," Ariana said once she noticed Serena still had on the hat that Ash had gotten her at the Indigo Plateau a while back.

Fennekin then brought forth a red hat with a hint of pink to it. It tossed the hat to Serena from its mouth, and Serena caught it and stared at it for a moment. So she was completely changing her outfit again. This was the first outfit she's worn in a while that wouldn't have a piece of anything Ash had given her. She had worn the hats that Ash had given her ever since she started her journey. This one, however, was chosen by her and a Fennekin.

"Something wrong, Serena?" Ariana asked when she saw Serena's expression.

"Oh no, I was just thinking. You see, my boyfriend had given me the hat I'm currently wearing a while back. I've been wearing it ever since," Serena replied.

"I've got you. It has sentimental value, doesn't it?" Ariana stated sympathetically.

"Yeah," Serena muttered.

"No one's making you get another hat, Serena. If you want to keep your current one, that's definitely okay!" Ariana said with a wink

Serena turned back around and looked at the hat on her head. In all honesty, the white and blue of the older hat didn't match her new clothes at all. This hat was perfect, however, and was very fashionable. Serena sighed, but she soon saw the pendent Ash had given her. It was also the only thing she wore at all times besides the hat. Serena glanced upwards at her current hat once again. Sure, it was something Ash had gotten her, but in the end, it was just a hat. Serena still had something much more meaningful around her neck, after all. As long as she wore that, there was no need to wear anything else that reminded her of her love for Ash. He even had a matching pendent now, as well. With that in mind, Serena took off her hat that Ash had given her and put on the new one. It was a perfect fit.

"Fennekin! Fenn!" Fennekin cried in approval.

"Oh? So I look good, Fennekin?" Serena asked as she turned around to look at it.

"You look more than good! You look great!" Ariana said with a wink. "I bet your boyfriend will have his socks knocked off!"

"Heehee! I do wonder what he'll think of me," Serena thought as she blushed and put her old hat in her backpack for safekeeping. Even though she wouldn't be wearing it much anymore, she could still keep it with her.

"Well, I'd say this shopping spree was a success! Why don't we celebrate with some cheesecake!?" Ariana suggested.

"That sounds delicious!" Serena agreed as she clasped her hands together in excitement.

* * *

About ten minutes later, the two girls were outside on a table in front of a small café with two plates of cheesecake in front of them. Fennekin was off to the side with its own smaller portion as a snack while Charla had its own plate since it still retained its fondness for sweets upon evolving .

"This looks so yummy!" Serena exclaimed.

"I know!" Ariana agreed.

"Ready? Let's dig in!" both girls cried at the same time as they each picked up their forks and took a bite.

"It's delicious!" they exclaimed again at the same time.

Fennekin dug into its own plate while it gave weary glance at Charla who watched it back. The fire lizard knew that this was the Pokemon and girl who had helped its trainer out a little so it Charla gave a smile at the Fennekin and nodded its head. The Fennekin gave a bright smile before it wagged its furry tail and continued eating.

"You know, I've thought a little about what you suggested," Serena began as she took another bite of the delicious cheesecake, "About doing both battles and performances."

"Oh?" Ariana piped up as she looked at Serena in interest.

"Yeah. I mean…when you first suggested it to me, I thought the idea sounded crazy. No offense of course!" Serena frantically corrected. Once she saw Ariana shake her head which meant no offense was taken, Serena continued, "I thought that would just mean I was confused and didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. However, as I thought more about it, I realized that it wasn't a bad thing."

"That's right. It isn't, at all," Ariana agreed with a nod.

"Right. It just means that my Pokemon and I have a lot of interests, and we want to try out a lot of things. Maybe we could settle for one thing in the future, but for now, doing both is enough," Serena told her.

"I'm glad you think so, Serena. So does that mean you've come to a decision of what you wanted to do?" Ariana wondered.

Serena took a deep breath. She still remembered how Calem had first introduced her to the idea of Pokemon performances which she casually brushed off. However, after seeing how performances were back on Mandarin Island and how beautiful and talented Aria was really got her thinking. With as much as Serena loved stuff like that, and the Pokevision video helping, Serena was actually very glad she had been introduced to them. She definitely wanted to try them out with the first opportunity she received. Now she would just need to read the rules about how official performances worked.

She couldn't forget about battling, though. There was a good portion of her Pokemon who still loved it, as well as Serena herself. There was nothing stopping her from doing practice battles with trainers or competing in tournaments like the Water Pokemon tournament a while back. So its settled!

"I sure do!" Serena smiled. "I'm not confused anymore! I'll still be a great Pokemon trainer and become as talented and great as Aria one day!"

"That's the spirit, Serena! I'm sure you'll reach that level. Even Aria started somewhere!" Ariana approved as she finished her cheesecake and looked at Fennekin. "In fact, don't you think Fennekin would be a great partner to have to help get you started with your Pokemon Performance career?"

"Huh?! What!?" Serena gasped in surprise. Charla also widened its eyes before it looked at the fox Pokemon again.

"Why of course! This Fennekin is great when it comes to designs and fashion! It did learn from the best, after all!" Ariana continued.

Serena wasn't quite sure what Ariana meant by "learned from the best" but this was still rather astonishing. Serena looked at the Fennekin as it wagged its tail and patiently awaited Serena's decision. It seemed to agree with Ariana's suggestion. Well, they did get along great, share common interests, and it was super cute.

"You'd really give me Fennekin?" Serena gasped as she looked at Ariana again.

"Yes. I bet you two would be a great team on the performance side of your career. Not to mention, I bet it could help you teach your other Pokemon who want to do performances all about them!" Ariana grinned.

Serena did think that would be rather nice. It would be very beneficial to have a Pokemon with her that knew what it was doing when it came to those things. It and Serena seemed to share the same thought process and mannerisms. Her Pokemon would need a leader in performances. On her battling side, she still had her first Pokemon, Charla, and Hitmonlee was a great teacher, as well. If she were to have Fennekin, it would balance out perfectly.

"Wow. Thank you so much, Ariana! That's so generous!" Serena replied gratefully before she turned to her Charla. "What do you think, Charla?"

Charla gave a soft roar and nodded in approval.

"You're welcome!" Ariana replied happily before she reached over and rubbed Fennekin's head. "Now Fennekin, I want you to take great care of Serena and work together with her to reach the top. Do you think you can do that?"

"Fennekin!" it replied confidently as it hopped up and down before licking Ariana's hand affectionately. It then went over to Serena's side of the table and sat down in front of her to await her reply.

"Sounds good to me! I'd love to take you along with me, Fennekin. I know we'll do a superb job at whatever we set out minds to!" Serena stated as she gently rubbed Fennekin on the head, also. Looks like she just received another Pokemon as a very generous gift.

Ariana watched the scene with a smile on her face before a beeping noise sounded in her pocket. Serena, Charla, and Fennekin looked inquisitively at Ariana as she looked at her Pokegear and gasped. She then quickly stood up from the table and gave everyone around her an apologetic look before she answered it.

"Yeah. Uh-huh. Oh…I know. I'll be back soon," Ariana muttered while she sounded a little bummed out as she hung up the phone.

"Ariana?" Serena questioned.

"I'm so sorry, but I have to go now," Ariana said as she placed one of her hands behind her head in embarrassment.

"What? You have to go?" Serena repeated sadly. She had grown to like this girl in such a short amount of time.

"Yeah. I'm sorry," Ariana said as she gathered her things.

Serena stood up from her seat, too. "I don't know how to thank you enough for today, Ariana. You really helped me out with my decision on what I wanted to do with my career. Not to mention you gave me your Fennekin as a gift," she said as she gestured towards the fox Pokemon, who also looked sad about Ariana leaving.

"In that case, you can thank me by being the best you can be at whatever you do!" Ariana responded with another wink before she looked over at Fennekin. "Take care, Fennekin! I'll miss you, but you're in good hands with Serena!"

"Fennekin!" it nodded as it waved with one of its front feet to Aria.

"Remember, Serena. You've got a great smile! It's no good when you frown!" Ariana said with a big smile of her own.

"Right. I'll remember that," Serena nodded.

"It was great meeting you!" Ariana finished as she held out her hand for Serena to shake.

"It was great to meet you, too!" Serena responded as she took the handshake before she added, "Will I ever see you again?

Ariana then put on a bigger smile. "Oh, I'm sure you will. Around. On TV. On stage," she answered.

"On TV or stage? What do you mean?" Serena asked curiously.

Ariana then took off her glasses which caused Serena to gasp. She couldn't believe it! She knew there was familiarity about this person even though she had only seen her once. Ariana's true identity was none other than Aria, the famous Pokemon Performer, herself! It was so surprising, but it made so much sense! She just unknowingly spent a lot of her afternoon with a celebrity!

"You! You're...you're…," Serena stuttered.

"Ariana! Remember?" Aria finished as she put her glasses back on to disguise herself once again.

Serena finally lost her flabbergasted expression and composed herself. "Right. Ariana."

"See you later!" Aria waved as she turned and ran off to where she needed to be.

"Bye, Ariana, and thank you for everything! You can bet I'll do my best and keep smiling!" Serena shouted after her.

She, Charla, and Fennekin waved until Ariana was out of sight. Serena then let her arm drop as she thought about her events earlier today. Wow. Who would've thought this would happen? Serena had actually captured the attention of a celebrity, after all. Her friends had told her that something really good would come of her Pokevision video being so popular, and they were right. She had met Aria and was given the boost she needed on deciding her career path. Something amazing had happened, after all. Pokevision really was a great way to get your name out there and capture attention. Serena then turned to Charla and her new Fennekin to give them a determined look.

"Well, you two? Are you ready to work hard and be the best at all we do?" she asked.

Both Pokemon responded in the positive. They all then went in for a group hug. This was that starting line for Serena. She was now going to do Pokevision and battling for her career. She even had a new outfit that really suit her to go along with it. She looked just like she was ready to perform yet battle, as well. This was great. She couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for her now!

* * *

It was almost evening once Serena returned to the Pokemon Center. She had been gone for most of the day, and there was no doubt her friends would start to wonder where she was. As she walked in the lobby, she immediately spotted them on a few couches with each other. Upon seeing Serena approach, they smiled but had to a double take once they saw her new outfit. All of them rose from their seats and went over to her.

"Serena! Where were you this whole day, and where did you get that outfit?" Leaf asked.

"Well, I happened to run into someone today who helped me sort out all of my thoughts, and I got this outfit to symbolize a new start for me," Serena answered as she struck a pose.

"Really? Who did you meet?" Misty wondered.

"Just a new friend," Serena replied with a wink. She had taken Aria's words to heart and hadn't stopped smiling since she came in.

"Well, I think your new outfit looks really cute, Serena," Ash said with a blush. He had noticed she wasn't wearing the hat he bought her, but that didn't bother him. She still wore his pendent, and he still wore hers. That would always be enough.

"Aww, thank you, Ash," Serena replied, glad that he approved. "I figure it was time for a change now that I know what I'm going to do."

"So what did you decide?" Leaf asked.

"I've decided to be a great Pokemon Performer!" Serena announced. "I'm going to study hard to learn all of what being one is like, and wherever we travel to next, I'm going to compete! Of course, I can't forget about battling either, so I'll still do that, too."

"That sounds great, Serena! I'm so happy you found your goal. I bet your Pokemon approve of your decision, also," Ash told her.

"They do!" Serena grinned. "In fact, I haven have a new partner that my friend gave me. Say hello to Fennekin, everyone!"

Serena then released her new Pokemon from its pokeball. The fox Pokemon gave a stretch before it sat down and looked at the group. Everyone, particularly Ash and Leaf, gathered around in excitement at the new Pokemon. None of them had ever seen a Fennekin before considering it was only native to the Kalos region. Ash and Leaf eagerly took out their National dexes to scan it. Having another Kalos Pokemon in there was very beneficial to them.

"Hello there, Fennekin! You're a cutie!" Misty gushed.

"Hmm…another Kalos Pokemon. I could get some great sketches with this," Tracey mused.

"That's so cool, Serena! We're all really happy for you!" Leaf said.

"Yeah. I was told that this Fennekin had a very good fashion sense similar to my Charla when it was a Charmander. I bet we'll be a great performance team!" Serena told them.

"Feeeennn!" Fennekin cried out.

Pikachu and Togepi came over to greet the new fire-type, to which it greeted them back. Togepi was still holding the small bottle from when Ash was feeding it.

"So Ash? Now all we need to do is have you win the Orange League?" Serena figured.

"Yeah. I'm going to win for sure! I met Drake today, and as we thought, he has a Dragonite, but that doesn't worry me," Ash replied.

"I'll tell you what, Ash," Serena proposed as she got close to him and leaned against his chest. If you win the Orange League, I'll reward you with something"

Ash blushed heavily at that. He adjusted his cap while his other friend smiled at him, and Pikachu snickered as usual. Well, that was one more thing to motivate Ash to do his best. He would regardless, but having a reward from one's girlfriend was always great.

Things were looking great so far for everyone. Serena found her goal and received a new Pokemon. Ash was just a couple of days away from his biggest match to date. Good things were definitely on the horizon for them!

That was until Togepi, in its excitement of meeting a new friend, began to bounce up and down playfully. It was rather awkward because of its body shape, however. Pikachu saw this and tried to steady it, but Togepi ended up falling over which sent its bottle flying a short distance…right onto Serena's new Fennekin.

Fennekin grimaced as the formula spilled all over its fur before it glared at the Togepi who looked on innocently. Everyone gasped when it looked like Fennekin was charging up an Ember attack! Oh shoot! It wasn't that mad about getting dirty, was it?!

"Wait!" Ash cried as he picked up Togepi just before Fennekin shot out its Ember attack. Fortunately, the Ember attack missed Togepi, but it still caught Ash in the pants, and he had to stop, drop, and roll to put out the small flame that came about.

Everyone sweat dropped while Serena helped Ash back to his feet. Thankfully, he didn't seem hurt by Fennekin's attack. It seemed Fennekin's temper and desire to stay clean could be pretty extreme at times. They would need to work on that.

* * *

 **Fennekin has now finally made its way onto Serena's team. Serena now has one half of her team divided for battling lead by Charla and performing lead by Fennekin. I think there is a good balance of the two. Will one win over the other or will she stay that way? Eh...honestly I'm not sure yet.**

 **Serena's outfit now matches what she currently has in the anime. The only difference is the pendant instead of the blue ribbon, and she still has long hair instead of short hair. These will be her clothes throughout the Johto arc.  
**

 **The next chapter will be up later this week! See you all then!**

 **Chapter 21: Lapras on Ice  
**

 **Answering the Questions:**

 _Will Serena ever change hairstyles or cut her hair?  
_

 ** _I'm definitely open to the idea of doing that at some point. If she does, it probably wouldn't be until the Hoenn arc, but if I feel the need to, I may do it some time in Johto. Some people say that don't like her short hair. Admittedly, I didn't like it too much at first, either, but it's really grown on me. I think Serena is still just as cute with short hair as she was with long hair._**

 _Will Lawrence III play a part in any of the later arcs?_

 ** _At this point, no. However, I purposely left his departure open-ended in case I change my mind._**

 _Will something in the future give Serena a hint to her diverging destiny?_

 ** _Diverging destiny? Such as what?_**

 _Would this evil that Lugia spoke of have anything to do with Lysandre?_

 ** _Well...maybe, but this foreshadowing about the future evil is too big of a spoiler for me to reveal it. It might not have anything to do with this guy or any other evil gang leader. It might even be something totally different._**

 _You said all legendaries would get a chance to shine. Does that mean even the Unova and Kalos legendaries even though you don't plan on doing those arcs._

 ** _Yep! Even they will get some focus! I have my ways..._**

 _Will Serena in your future Movie chapters a bigger influence?_

 _ **In some way.**_

 _Will you be doing all of the movies in their respective arcs?  
_

 ** _I've answered this before a couple of times, but my mind has changed with what has happened since then in both the anime and savings. So...for the sake of this being near the end of my Q & A section, I'll say which ones I'm doing one last time. Here is the final list. Check here if you ever forget:_**

 ** _Mewtwo Strikes Back_**

 ** _The Power of One_**

 ** _Latios and Latias (No Celebi movie, a Celebi arc will instead be a special segment of the Johto arc)_**

 ** _Destiny Deoxys (it will be extremely different from canon, though. Different plot and everything. I'd actually call it something separate entirely if not for the fact that it revolved around Deoxys)_**

 ** _Lucario and the Mystery of Mew_**

 ** _The Rise of Darkrai_**

 ** _Giratina and the Sky Warrior_**

 ** _Arceus and the Jewel of Life_**

 ** _...The other movies after this are from Unova and Kalos, and as said before, I'm not doing those arcs._**


	21. Lapras on Ice

**A/N: Another chapter up in the same week?! I haven't done that in a while! Expect the last two chapters to be up rather quickly, also! Please enjoy this chapter! It has an unexpected face in here along with an unexpected Pokemon! I love doing things like this!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 21: Lapras on Ice

It was only one day until the start of the Orange League. Ash was really down to business with training his Pokemon for this event. He was on the beach of Pummelo Island trying to prepare all the Pokemon he had decided to use in the preliminaries. Only if he came out on top would he get a chance to challenge Drake, the leader of the Orange Crew. If he succeeded, it would definitely be the toughest match of Ash's so far to date. Nobody had beaten Drake in the last five years, but that didn't deter Ash from trying. Just like the trainer from five years ago, Ash had proven he wasn't just an ordinary trainer, not that an ordinary trainer could make it through the Orange League in the first place.

"Great, Haunter!" Ash encouraged as he watched the ghost type Pokemon glide underground in the shadows. That could be useful for several sneak attacks.

"I guess being away from you for so long has made Haunter good at avoiding things," Leaf said from beside Ash.

"Heh. Yeah," Ash chuckled. It had been awhile since he used the ghost Pokemon in battle. The prankster Pokemon had been ecstatic when Ash chose it as one of the Pokemon he would be using to compete in the Orange League.

"Haaaaaaaunt!" Haunter cried as it burst from the sand and used Shadow Punch at an invisible enemy.

"Anyway, thanks for helping me train, Leaf. I need all the help I can get for my upcoming challenges," Ash said.

"Don't mention it," Leaf smiled. "Serena is busy reading a fashion magazine with her new Fennekin right now so it isn't like she's up for doing anything. Besides, I'd rather train and battle with you than read about fashion anyway."

"You and me both," Ash replied. "Still, I'm really glad Serena found something she wanted to do. I have no idea who she met, but it was clearly someone who had a huge impact on her."

"Come on, Ash. You know she probably met Aria," Leaf muttered.

"Huh?" Ash questioned as he gave Leaf a weird look.

"Remember why Serena did Pokevision in the first place? So she could capture the attention of someone who could help her decide her career? Well, look what happened. Besides, she came back with a Fennekin, and Aria had a Braixen. I seriously doubt another person on this island had a Kalos native Pokemon with them. I can just tell," Leaf explained.

"Hmmm…well, I guess that makes sense," Ash shrugged.

"Heehee. You're so clueless sometimes, Ash," Leaf giggled.

Ash then turned to the other Pokemon he was training at the moment. Pikachu was practicing with Bulbasaur. Dragonite and Charizard were practicing aerial attacks against each other. Lapras didn't have a suitable partner to train with so Leaf had lent her Dewgong so it would have one. The dual water and ice type Pokemon were blasting several attacks back at each other trying to overpower its opponent. Ash was definitely glad that Lapras was trying its best, but he also didn't want it to overexert itself. Even though Lapras was definitely trying to train, it would still look back occasionally which made Ash wonder why.

"Hey, Lapras. Is everything okay?" Ash asked once Lapras glanced behind itself for what was probably the tenth time.

Lapras turned to see Ash had a rather concerned look on his face. It wasn't because he wanted it to continue practicing, though. Lapras could tell that Ash knew something was bothering it, and there was. Ever since they arrived at Pummelo Island, Lapras had been able to sense its herd nearby. It couldn't see them, but one could call it intuition. Today, however, the herd felt closer than ever before. If they came by, Lapras surely wouldn't want to miss it.

"Laaaaaa," Lapras replied and shook its head. It didn't want to concern Ash about the herd because there was a chance it wouldn't come at all.

"You know that if there is something bothering you, you can say so, okay? We're friends, after all," Ash told it.

Lapras nodded its head at that before it resumed training with Leaf's Dewgong. Truthfully, since its time with Ash, Lapras had grown significantly, not in size, but in maturity and attitude. Before it met Ash, it was a scared infant Pokemon that distrusted humans, but now, it knew that there were nice people out there. Also, it had become more independent and was able to be by itself on occasion like the time Ash had transferred it to Professor Oak's lab so it could take a break.

"I still think Lapras is distracted by something," Leaf whispered next to Ash, to which he nodded.

"Yeah. I'm taking a stab in the dark at this, but I think its herd might be close by. It's the only thing I can think of that would distract Lapras like this," Ash replied.

"Bleaaaah!" Haunter suddenly cried as it appeared between Ash and Leaf and bugged its eyes out.

Ash and Leaf yelped and fell backwards in the sand while the ghost Pokemon laughed its head off. That never got old. Despite Ash being used to Haunter's pranks by now, he still couldn't help but be startled when Haunter pulled something like that. Ash rolled his eyes but started to laugh, as well. The ghost Pokemon had to make up for the long time it had been at Professor Oak's lab. The Pokemon Professor had actually been relieved when Ash chose it. No doubt Haunter worried the poor Professor to death.

Dragonite had swooped down to check on Ash once it saw Haunter had scared him. It then gave an angry look at Haunter for frightening its beloved trainer again. Haunter was one of Ash's Pokemon whom Dragonite hadn't fully warmed up to yet. It was a little too weird for the dragon Pokemon.

"It's okay, Dragonite. Haunter was just kidding around. I'm okay," Ash told it as he and Leaf stood back up.

Dragonite gave a weary glance at Haunter before it flew back up in the air to train with Ash's Charizard. Ash was glad that Dragonite was attempting to communicate with his other Pokemon, but it still had some work to do with Haunter. He then turned to the ghost Pokemon who was grinning broadly at him and Leaf.

"Hey, Haunter. I think I'll pair you with Dragonite in our next training session so you two can break the ice a little. It would probably be good for both of you," Ash told it.

"Ha-ha-haunt!" Haunter laughed. After all, it had no quarrels with Dragonite even if the dragon Pokemon didn't feel the same way.

Ash smiled at the ghost Pokemon before he noticed that Lapras had been distracted again. It had lost longing look on its face and now appeared to be squinting at something. Ash was about to ask what was up before he saw Lapras turn around completely and swim off which left behind a bewildered Dewgong. The infant Lapras had an excited look on its face as it swam away. Ash and Leaf glanced off in the distance and could make out a dark outline.

"Do you think that's…," Leaf began.

"I think so," Ash nodded before he looked up towards Charizard and Dragonite. "Hey, Charizard! Dragonite!"

The two flying Pokemon came down from their training and looked at Ash expectantly.

"Let's follow Lapras! I think it may have found its herd!" Ash told them.

The Pokemon nodded as they turned around to let the two trainers get on. Ash got on Dragonite's back while Leaf got on Charizard. Ash then told his other Pokemon to keep training and that he would be back momentarily. Dragonite and Charizard then took off and followed Lapras as it continued to swim eagerly towards the dark outline in the distance.

As they got closer, the two could indeed see it was a school of Lapras that was swimming by. There were probably about fifteen of them. Ash and Leaf smiled broadly that Lapras finally seemed to find what it was looking for after all this time.

Lapras began to cry out to the school of Lapras in front of it. Upon hearing a sound from their kind, the Lapras turned and looked in surprise at the baby Lapras coming towards them. One Lapras in particular, who was a little paler in color than the others, got just as an excited look on its face and swam towards Ash's Lapras. The infant Lapras got tears in its eyes once it saw who it was. The two Lapras reached each other while the larger one rubbed its face affectionately against Ash's Lapras. It didn't take a genius to know that it was probably Lapras' mother.

"Awww, that's so sweet," Leaf cooed from beside Ash.

Ash rolled his eyes at Leaf's affinity for cute things, but he had to agree with her. One could only imagine the emotions going through the Lapras at the moment. They were separated a long time and were no doubt overjoyed. Ash decided he wanted to meet the mother of such a great Pokemon and flew down with Dragonite towards the two. Leaf followed him.

"Hey, Lapras!" Ash called as he waved from atop Dragonite's back.

Lapras turned towards Ash and cried out happily at seeing him. The mother, on the other hand, looked extremely wary and even had a look of fear in its eyes. It swam in front of its baby protectively and glared at Ash. The other Lapras in the school also looked nervous and surrounded Ash and Leaf on their Pokemon.

"Ummm…," Ash uttered at seeing the not so friendly greeting from the Lapras.

"That's right. Lapras are really wary of humans. Remember how Lapras treated you when you first found it? They may think you're trying to hurt it," Leaf reminded Ash.

"Oh," Ash realized before he gave what he hoped was a friendly smile to the other Lapras. "Sorry to startle all of you, but this Lapras is actually a really great friend of mine!"

"Laaaaaa!" Ash's Lapras said to the others and its mother. It swam over to Ash and Dragonite before it rubbed its head against his body to show he was okay.

"Hahahaha! That tickles Lapras!" Ash laughed.

The other Lapras visibly relaxed upon seeing the playful interaction between the two. They still seemed a little apprehensive but at least no longer looked like they would attack. Ash's Lapras swam back over to its mother and cried out to her before it motioned with its head to come meet Ash.

The mother Lapras hesitated for a moment before it followed its baby. The two Lapras made their way over to the raven-haired boy while Ash waited rather patiently on Dragonite. Leaf looked rather surprised that they were taking this so well. Ash's Lapras must have really convinced them that Ash wasn't a bad person.

Ash's Lapras stopped in front of Ash and rubbed its head affectionately against him again before it looked over at its mother a short distance behind it. The mother Lapras tilted its head in interest before it slowly closed the distance between it and Ash. It merely stared at Ash with an unreadable expression before it bowed its head to the water graciously. Ash smiled as he realized that was probably the mother's way of thanking Ash for taking care of its baby for so long.

"Oh! You're welcome!" Ash grinned before he added. "Your baby has been great! I've really enjoyed having it travel with me!"

"Laaaaa!" Ash's Lapras blushed at that. Yes. Ash said he enjoyed having it with him. Truthfully, Lapras was really glad it had traveled with Ash, too.

The mother Lapras nodded once more to Ash before it turned around and began to swim back to its herd. It then motioned with its head for it baby to follow it. Ash widened his eyes as he remembered that this was why Lapras was with him in the first place. They had been searching for its herd. Now that they had found it, there was no reason for Lapras to stay with Ash anymore. Ash looked over sadly at Lapras once he realized that. Did it have to go so soon?

"So…I guess we're parting ways here?" Ash figured.

The infant Lapras looked really conflicted at the moment. It looked longingly over its mother and the rest of the herd before it turned back to Ash. Lapras' herd was waiting expectantly for Lapras while Ash looked on, expecting Lapras to go with them. It turned out the baby Lapras wasn't quite ready to leave yet! It still had one thing it had promised Ash that it would do for him first

Lapras then began to swim towards its herd. It then appeared to be telling something to its mother who was listening attentively. Lapras then swam back over to Ash who put on a look of confusion.

"What's up, Lapras?" Ash asked it.

"Laaaaaa!" it replied to Ash.

Dragonite then turned around and made a few jabbing motions with its arms to let Ash know what Lapras was saying. Ash nodded his head at the two when he understood the message.

"I get it! Before you leave with your herd, you want to help me out in the Orange League!" Ash smiled.

"Laaaa!" Lapras confirmed.

"Well, how can I say no to that!? I'll gladly have you on my team for the preliminaries, Lapras! We'll make your mom proud!" Ash told it.

He then looked over at the herd of Lapras who looked at Ash and his Lapras for only a moment before they began to make their way to Pummelo Island. It seemed that they were willing to accept Lapras' request and would wait here until Lapras was through. Once they did, they would all leave with Lapras together.

Lapras smiled happily before it swam off with the herd to the island. Ash and Leaf nodded to each other before they followed the Lapras on Dragonite and Charizard. Ash was glad for the reunion Lapras had with its herd but was still a little downcast. If this was true, this time in the Orange League preliminaries would be the last time he used it. The thoughts made him sigh to himself.

"You're sad to see Lapras go, aren't you?" Leaf said sympathetically from beside Ash.

"Yeah, but I know it's for the best," Ash muttered as he watched all of the Lapras in front of him greet his in their own way.

* * *

Serena was alone in her rented room with her new Fennekin. The two were looking through a fashion magazine and trying to find some great designs for costumes for when they would perform on stage. So far, they had found some really good ones. However, 'really good' just didn't cut it for Serena and Fennekin. They had to look for the absolute best. Only then would they settle. With how much they were alike, one wouldn't think that Fennekin had only been Serena's Pokemon for two days.

"Hmmm…how about this one, Fennekin?" Serena questioned as she pointed to a costume that looked somewhat like an Eevee.

The fox Pokemon quirked its head at the costume as if it were thinking. After a few seconds, it shook its head and motioned for Serena to go on to the next one.

"Yeah. I just thought that one was okay myself," Serena agreed as she put an X though the costume with a pen and turned the page.

That was when Serena and Fennekin heard a knock at their door. The two turned in the direction in mild surprise as they thought everyone was out right now.

"Who is it?" Serena called.

"It's me," Ash answered from the other side.

Serena smiled that her boyfriend had come to see her. She put away the fashion magazine, to Fennekin's dismay, before she went over to the door and opened it. Serena had opened the door expecting to see Ash smiling right back at her, but that wasn't the case. He was smiling, yes, but it was a somewhat sad smile. Pikachu was on his shoulder while Togepi was on his other one.

"Hey, Ash. How did your training with Leaf go?" Serena asked.

"Oh. It went just fine. We all got some great work in. I think we'll finally be ready for the preliminaries tomorrow," Ash replied.

"That's right. There were a lot fewer people competing than I thought. There is only you and one other person. You only need to win one battle before you go against Drake," Serena said.

"Yeah. I guess everyone else who tried the Orange League couldn't beat all of the gym leaders. I mean, they were all exceptionally hard," Ash shrugged.

"Well that just shows how great of a trainer you are," Serena told Ash as she took him by the hand to lead him into her room.

The two then sat on the bed next to each other. Fennekin moved off to the side to get out of Ash's way while Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder before it helped Togepi down. The two then went over to greet Fennekin who gave a slight huff at the two. It still hadn't forgotten that incident where Togepi spilled its formula all over its fur.

"Now, Fennekin. Togepi is still really young. It didn't mean to do that to you. Both of you should try to be friends," Serena scolded slightly.

Fennekin looked at the two other Pokemon who were smiling at it. Togepi went over to Fennekin and began to rub its stubby hands on its fur. Fennekin sighed in contentment at how good that felt. Maybe its new trainer was right. It was just an accident, and Fennekin could forgive them. Fennekin then began to brush its tail against Togepi which caused it to laugh playfully. Pikachu also went over to the fox Pokemon and held out its paw for it to shake. Fennekin hesitated for just a moment before it shook Pikachu's paw.

"See? All better now!" Serena smiled before she turned to Ash who was also smiling at the scene. She then decided to address the sad smile she originally saw on Ash's face. "So Ash, what's wrong?"

"Well, while Leaf and I were training we ran into something," Ash replied.

"Something? Like what?" Serena wondered.

"Lapras' herd. Lapras is visiting with them right now," Ash answered, getting straight to the point.

"Really? That's good, isn't it?" Serena wondered.

"Yeah. Of course it's good. Lapras told me that it wants to compete in the preliminaries tomorrow before it goes off with its herd. That will be the last time I battle with it. I've really grown to like Lapras since I've had it," Ash sighed.

"Of course. I like Lapras a lot, too. It would need to be with its family, though," Serena said before she realized what Ash was getting at. "I see. You don't want Lapras to go, do you?"

"No. I don't," Ash admitted. "I thought when we first met that I would just help it find its family, but now that we've traveled, it's been part of our group, not an outsider. It fit in so well with all of us. I don't know, just the fact that I'll be watching it leave reminds me of the time I released Butterfree."

Serena nodded her head at that. It was a really tough decision for Ash to do that. In the end, however, they all knew that it was in Butterfree's best interest so it could start a family. By the same token, Lapras wasn't starting a family but still need to be with them.

"I wish there was a way for everyone to be happy. It sounds so selfish, but I don't want to release Lapras," Ash said and hated the fact that he thought that.

"You know, there is a chance that Lapras could end up staying with you," Serena tried to encourage. "It's been away from its family a long time. Maybe it will remember how much fun you two have had together. It's grown a lot since it met you, after all."

"Yeah. It has," Ash replied and let out another small smile. "Heh. When we first got Lapras, it was so scared, but it's proven how great it can be at battling…and racing."

"Oh, Ash. I know that however things turn out, it will be what Lapras truly wants. Just use it in the preliminary rounds tomorrow, and prove to yourself how much you've helped Lapras grow. Both Lapras and the herd have you to thank for that," Serena said as she gave Ash a hug from the side.

"Yeah. I will. I think I'll head back to training now. I've let Lapras relax the rest of the day so it can be with its family," Ash stated as she leaned into Serena's hug before he stood up.

"Okay, Ash. I'll see you later," Serena said as she took out the fashion magazine again.

Ash looked at the fashion magazine with a raised eyebrow. Serena had been looking at that thing for the past two days. Didn't they get bored of it? Well, who was Ash to judge? Serena had finally found her calling in life, and he certainly wasn't going to bring her down. He was happy for her.

"Hey, Togepi. Would you like to stay here with Fennekin and me to help us pick out some great costume designs?" Serena asked the young Pokemon brightly.

"Toge, Toge!" it replied, not really knowing what it was agreeing to. Fennekin looked a little wary, however. It highly doubted this Pokemon knew anything about fashion.

Ash rolled his eyes before he gave his reply. "That's fine. I'm sure Togepi will be a great asset."

"Well, you've spent your time with Togepi today so now it's my turn," Serena replied indignantly.

"Yeah. I know. I was just kidding. Come on, Pikachu," Ash called.

"Pika!" the rodent answered.

The two then exited the room as Serena watched them go. As soon as Ash closed the door, Serena heard an angry shriek from Fennekin. Serena whipped her head around and gasped when she saw Togepi scribbling around in the magazine they were looking at!

"Oh, Togepi! You weren't supposed to draw in that!" Serena cried as she hastily took the pen away.

"Toge?" the spike ball Pokemon questioned in confusion.

"Let's just find you some blank, white paper," Serena said with a sweat drop as she got up from the bed to look for one in the nearby nightstand.

Togepi turned and saw that Fennekin was glaring at it, but it didn't know why. It thought it was going to help its mommy.

* * *

"Welcome to the preliminary round of the Orange League, everyone! Which of these fine challengers we have here today will have a shot at battling Drake, the Orange League champion?!" the announcer called over a speaker.

The crowd erupted into cheering once the announcer said that. The stadium was just as full, if not fuller, than it was a couple of days ago when Aria had done her performance. Ever seat was filled with someone, and there were plenty of workers going around offering refreshments to the spectators.

Ash was standing inside of the tunnel as he waited for the announcer to say the names of the two challengers for him. He learned that the match would be against someone named Harrison. Ash didn't know a whole lot about the guy, only that he appeared to be older than him by a few years. One thing was certain, this Harrison guy must be an exceptional trainer to be the only other one who made it to the Orange League.

Despite his challenger's surely impressive battle skills, Ash still stuck with his decision to stay with Lapras. He figured this would be his last match with it, after all, and he was going to make it count. There would be no way Ash would let he and Lapras part on a loss like this. They were definitely going to win, and Lapras will be able to prove how strong it's gotten. They had Lapras' whole herd behind it if he remembered the talk from last night.

XXX

 _"So Lapras, are you psyched for the match tomorrow?" Ash had asked it._

 _"Laaaa," Lapras replied and nuzzled its face against his._

 _"Right. When we battle tomorrow, you'll be able to show your family how much stronger you've gotten. Then you'll be head of your herd before you know it!" Ash laughed._

 _He then cast a glance at Lapras' herd off to the side. They had decided to rest in a slightly more secluded area of Pummelo Island that would be away from most of the tourists. The good thing was the Lapras had a clear view of a large monitor that was on the island. It was a little far from the ocean, but the Lapras' excellent eyesight would allow them to watch their member battle tomorrow. Surprisingly, they had no qualms about that._

 _Lapras' mother swam over to its infant and wrapped its neck around it for a hug, which Ash's Lapras returned. It then turned and nodded to Ash to show it was trusting him with its baby to which Ash nodded back. Lapras' mother then let out a cry and motioned to the large monitor to let Ash and Lapras know they would be watching it tomorrow. Both Ash and Lapras smiled at that. They weren't about to disappoint them._

XXX

"Right!" Ash said to himself. They were ready.

"Ladies and gentleman! Thank you for waiting! The challengers appear to be ready so we will now present them to you! First we have Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town of the Kanto region and Harrison Hazuki from Littleroot Town in the Hoenn region!" the announcer yelled.

"Hoenn region?" Ash questioned in interest.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked from beside him.

"Oh. Sorry, Pikachu. That just sort of caught me off guard. I didn't think there would challengers from across the world coming here. I guess the Orange League is more popular than I thought," Ash replied.

"Pika," Pikachu nodded its head in understanding.

"Anyway, let's go!" Ash stated before he and Pikachu walked into the light from outside.

As the two stepped out, they could already see their opponent was walking out, as well. Harrison definitely appeared a few years older than Ash, maybe seventeen. He had light brown hair that was combed mostly throughout but still had a huge cowlick in the middle. He appeared to be smiling to Ash as they approached each other to shake hands. Harrison was the first one to hold out his hand.

"Hey there, Ash. As you could probably guess, my name's Harrison. Great to meet you!" he said.

"Hey. I'm Ash," Ash replied as he returned the handshake, glad that his opponent was friendly.

"So I just heard you're from the Kanto region. That's one of the few regions I haven't been to yet, along with Johto," Harrison commented.

"Yeah. I heard you were from Hoenn. I haven't been there yet, but I bet they have all sorts of cool Pokemon there!" Ash smiled.

"You bet! I'll even be using one today against you so you better be prepared!" Harrison told him.

"Really? Could you tell me what it is?!" Ash asked in excitement.

"Well, it wouldn't be any fun now if I did that! You'll see it soon enough," Harrison said with a thumbs up.

"Fair enough. Well, let's make this a great battle, Harrison!" Ash said.

"Definitely! I didn't travel all the way from Hoenn to lose so I'm going to give it everything I have here!" Harrison commented.

"Me, too!" Ash nodded as the two turned and went to their respective sides of the battlefield.

Far up in the crowd, Serena, Leaf, Misty, and Tracey were getting ready to watch the match from below. They had also been rather interested when they heard that Ash's challenger was from the Hoenn region. Serena, Leaf, and Misty thought a lot of great trainers must come from Hoenn if they recalled Tyson from the Indigo Pokemon League. He won it, after all.

"I've never been to the Hoenn region. Do you think this Harrison person has any Pokemon exclusive to there?" Leaf asked.

"I'm sure he does. I've visited the Hoenn region before. It's an extremely large lone region on the other side of the ocean. Because of the climate, there are a lot of Pokemon that only live there that you can't find in other places," Tracey told them.

"So Ash could facing against a Pokemon he's never seen before," Leaf muttered.

"I don't think that will be a problem," Serena spoke up. "New Pokemon or not, Ash can still win. He wouldn't be able to come this far in the Orange League if he couldn't."

"Toge! Toge!" Togepi agreed with its mommy.

Everyone else nodded their heads at that logic. No doubt Harrison would be a formidable opponent, but Ash could still do it.

"Alright! If the challengers would choose their first Pokemon, we can get underway!" the announcer shouted.

"I'll choose first if that's okay, Ash!" Harrison shouted from across the field. "I'll start off with Hypno!"

Harrison then threw his pokeball and let out the hypnosis Pokemon. Ash frowned slightly once he saw it as Hypno was a pretty powerful psychic Pokemon that also excelled at physical attacks, as well. Still, Ash knew he had the perfect counter for Hypno. It was a good choice for him to bring it to the match, after all.

"Go, Haunter!" Ash cried as he released the ghost Pokemon.

"Haaaaaaunt!" Haunter said as he came out. It then floated over to Ash and held out its disembodied hand for a high five. Ash smiled at it and went for it, but gasped when Haunter's hand disappeared.

"Haunter! I'm glad you're excited for the match, but this is no time for jokes!" Ash told it while he sweat dropped.

"Ha! Ha! Haaaaaunt!" Haunter laughed as it floated back over to where it was orginally to prepare for the battle.

"This will a two on two match. Whoever has one Pokemon standing at the end will be declared the winner and be able to face Drake! The first round will be Hypno versus Haunter! Are the challengers ready?" a referee asked from the side.

Both Harrison and Ash nodded. Ash took a glance at the crowd to see everyone had their eyes glued on the impending match. Ash had no doubt his friends were doing the same thing. It was then Ash noticed a slightly familiar face was in the announcer's box far above who was also watching the match. It was none other than Drake, the Orange League champion, whom Ash had met previously. Ash briefly wondered if Harrison was able to meet with him, too.

"Begin!" the judge declared.

Ash snapped his attention back to the match. It just began. Ash can worry about trivial things later on. Unfortunately, Ash's brief hesitation meant that Harrison had already gotten the jump on him.

"Use your Psychic attack, Hypno!" Harrison yelled.

A burst of psychic energy erupted from Hypno's pendulum and headed straight for Haunter.

"Fly out of the way, Haunter!" Ash hurriedly called.

Haunter floated in an arc out of harm's way long before the psychic attack reach it. It then began to laugh at how it was able to easily dodge the attack. Ash shrugged his shoulders as he couldn't really fault his Haunter right now. As long as it battled well, Ash had no complaints.

"Hmm…use another Psychic, Hypno!" Harrison said again.

"That's fine by me! Dodge it, Haunter, and vanish into the ground like we practiced!" Ash told it.

Haunter easily flew out of the way and arced around before it dove into the ground and vanished. All anyone could see now was shadow that was gliding around. It was moving quickly, not that it really mattered. Haunter would be impervious to any attacks Hypno could do to it right now. Unfortunately, that was exactly what Harrison wanted it to do as Ash would soon learn. Because Haunter was in the ground, it couldn't attack Hypno, either.

"You did exactly what I wanted you to do, Ash. I figured you might try to make good use of Haunter's ghost-tying for stealth. That's just what my Hypno needs to set up!" Harrison said before he yelled, "Hypno! Use Meditate and Nasty Plot!"

Hypno appeared to be concentrating very hard as it began to glow and got a creepy smile on its face. Ash grimaced as Harrison thought ahead and took total advantage of Haunter's inability to attack underneath the ground and used it to increase its stats. That was bad and certainly not something Ash had thought about. Haunter would never be hit by Hypno's attacks while it was underground and could use it to pull sneak attacks, but that didn't stop Hypno from setting up. That was pretty smart of Harrison to take advantage of a normally not good situation.

"Now get a Future Sight ready for when Haunter does come up! We can't attack it while it's underground so we'll wade it out!" Harrison called.

Hypno nodded and looked towards the sky to prepare the attack. However, Ash had to get Haunter to attack or there would be all sorts of nasty surprises waiting for it before long. He couldn't let this Hypno set up anymore.

"Use Shadow Punch, Haunter!" Ash hollered.

The shadow in the ground which was Haunter immediately made a beeline over to Hypno who was still calling forth the Future Sight. Haunter's disembodied hand appeared and then Haunter flew out of the ground and struck Hypno right across the face. The psychic Pokemon gasped and stumbled backwards, but Harrison still smiled as it had still finished setting up the Future Sight for later.

Ash decided he better limit Haunter's use to go underground right now if that just meant Hypno could use that chance to increase its stats more. It was a huge bummer that Haunter had learned a new technique but wouldn't be able to utilize it in the match very well.

"Use Shadow Ball!" Ash called.

"Counter it with your Psychic, Hypno!" Harrison yelled.

Both Pokemon launched their respective attacks which collided in midair and created an explosion. Despite Haunter's attack being super effective, it actually turned out to be Hypno's Psychic that kept going due to its power increase. The attack continued sailing through the air and struck Haunter which sent it blasting through the air before it landed on the ground and skidded for a while before it stopped.

"Haunter! Are you okay?" Ash asked it.

Haunter slowly floated off of the ground and panted before it nodded its head. It had lost its usual smiling face and traded it for a more serious one. It must have realized the danger it would be in with this battle if it wasn't careful.

"Use Psybeam, Hypno!" Harrison yelled this time.

"Not so fast! Sucker Punch, Haunter!" Ash countered.

Before Hypno was even able to get its beam out, Haunter appeared in front of the hypnosis Pokemon and delivered a big punch to its face for another super effective hit. Hypno stumbled back a little further before it seemingly smiled at the Haunter, along with Harrison. Both Ash and Haunter stared suspiciously at them for a moment before their faces lit up in remembrance.

"Future Sight's coming, Haunter! Get underground fast!" Ash yelled.

Haunter dove for the safety of the shadows before Ash even finished his sentence. However, it wasn't quick enough. A beam of light came from seemingly nowhere and struck Haunter right in its backside. Haunter cried out in pain, a rare thing for it, and was knocked onto the ground where it slid to a stop a few feet in front of Hypno.

"It looks like Future Sight takes another Pokemon by surprise at an opportune moment, folks! Despite the type disadvantage Hypno faces against Haunter, Harrison is still playing excellently to Hypno's strengths! One can easily see how he made it all the way to the Orange League!" the announcer commented.

 _"That's right,"_ Ash remembered. _The Orange League isn't a place for an average trainer. This guy must be seriously good to get here. If I can't think of a way to outsmart him and that Hypno, I'm going to lose. Harrison is playing to Hypno's strengths so what are Haunter's besides hiding in the shadows?"_

Ash then saw Haunter had recovered and was slowly floating off of the ground. However, it ran into a huge problem. Hypno had started rocking its pendulum back and forth right in Haunter's face. It was using Hypnosis! The worse part was Haunter was actually starting to become enamored with it and watched it go back and forth. Haunter slowly began to lose track of the battle, much to Ash's horror.

Ash then frowned as he realized the only other thing he could think of that Haunter really excelled at besides hiding and battling were jokes and pranks. That really wouldn't help him in a serious battle like this. Wait, or would it? With a bit of luck, Ash may be able to get through to Haunter and let it in on his plan.

"Haunter, if you can hear me at all, I need you to do what you do best! You know what I'm talking about!" Ash hollered across the field.

Despite Ash's words, it didn't appear Haunter heard Ash. It was too busy watching the pendulum in front of Hypno. Its eyes were slowly starting to droop, and it began sighing in contentment.

"We have no idea what Ash meant by what his Pokemon does best, but one thing is for sure. Haunter is just about in for a nap time!" the announcer shouted.

"What could Ash mean? Why isn't he telling Haunter to do anything? He looks worried, but he's just standing there," Misty wondered.

"It isn't like Ash to just be frozen solid like that and watch his Pokemon go to sleep like that without finding some way to get out of it," Tracey commented.

"That's right! Ash doesn't just let his Pokemon go to sleep like that! I think I might even have an idea of what he meant by what Haunter does best," Serena added.

Haunter continued to watch the pendulum swing back and forth a few more times before it did the inevitable. It began to yawn. Still, Ash was doing absolutely nothing! He just stood there and watched!

 _"What's he up to?"_ Harrison thought to himself.

A couple of seconds later, Haunter fell asleep. It slowly floated back onto the ground where it folded its hands and rested its body on them. It then began to snore softly and began to form a snot bubble.

"Well, we can't say what Ash was thinking by not doing anything. One thing is for certain, Haunter is asleep and totally helpless!" the announcer thought.

 _"We'll see,"_ Ash thought as he began to smirk, but not big enough for the spectators or Harrison to notice.

"Let's wrap this up with Dream Eater, Hypno!" Harrison called.

Hypno nodded as it began to have a red glow surround it. The red energy then floated over to Haunter where it wrapped around the ghost Pokemon. Dream Eater was always a great finishing move. It ensured that a Pokemon would be depleted of a lot of its energy and have it added to the user. Any damage Hypno previously had would be a thing of the past.

The red energy then began to transfer back over to Hypno where it prepared to feed on the health it had just sucked out of Haunter. It then noticed something was wrong. Why wasn't it feeling any better? Why were none of its wounds healing?

Harrison must have noticed this, too, as he put on a look of confusion. "Hypno, what's wrong?" he asked it.

Ash then broke out in a big smile while Hypno and Harrison were distracted. "Haunter! Use Shadow Ball!"

"What?!" Harrison cried.

Haunter snapped open its eyes and sprang up from the ground before it formed an orb of dark energy in its hands and shot it at Hypno. The hypnosis Pokemon's eyes widened as it saw the sneak attack come straight for it. The Shadow Ball connected, and Hypno cried out in pain as a small explosion took place.

"Great! Now finish this with Shadow Punch!" Ash called.

Hypno tried to stand up, but a shadowy fist appeared out of the ground and struck Hypno in an uppercut motion. Harrison watched in amazement as Hypno went flying into the air before it fell back down and landed on the ground with a thud. The judge ran over to Hypno's side and looked at it for a moment before he made his decision. Clearly, Hypno was knocked out.

"Hypno is unable to battle! The winner is Haunter!" the judge declared.

"What a strange but effective turn of events, folks! Haunter was only pretending to be asleep the whole time to lure Hypno into a Dream Eater!" the announcer shouted excitedly as the crowd cheered.

"Oh! I get it now! That's what Ash meant when he told Haunter to do what it does best. He was referring to Haunter's tricks!" Misty realized.

"I know. Ash shouted at Haunter early on while Hypnosis was still taking effect. That way, Haunter could still hear what Ash was saying and start the ruse. Still, I'm impressed that Haunter and Ash know each other enough to realize what the other meant," Tracey added as he rubbed his chin.

"That's Ash for you! You should know that by now!" Leaf grinned.

"Let's root for your daddy, Togepi!" Serena told it with a big smile.

"Togepriiii!" it cheered and waved its arms up and down.

"You did awesome, Haunter! I'm proud of you! I knew you heard me the second you sent me a small signal!" Ash called over to it before he added. "I've also seen you sleep enough to know you don't have a snot bubble, though it was a nice touch."

"Ha! Ha! Haaaaaunt!" Haunter laughed as it gave a thumbs up to Ash to which he returned.

"Keep up the great work!" Ash encouraged more.

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu encouraged.

Harrison returned his Hypno with a sigh before he looked over at Ash. "Well, Ash, I have to say, that was pretty good. You and Haunter must have a great bond to be able to pull a ruse like that together."

"Of course. Haunter and I are great buddies! We know each other!" Ash replied, to which Haunter nodded.

"Against a tricky Pokemon like Haunter, I think I'll use a tricky Pokemon of my own," Harrison said as he presented a pokeball. "It's actually the Pokemon native to Hoenn that I promised to show you."

Ash couldn't help but frown slightly. He was going to go into this battle against a Pokemon he knew absolutely nothing about it. He was extremely interested in seeing a new Pokemon, though. However, it would serve as a serious disadvantage to him. He had studied the pokedex on Pokemon he had already seen to learn their strengths and weaknesses. On this Pokemon, though, he would be fighting completely blind.

Everyone in the stadium waited in anticipation as Harrison threw his pokeball. "Go! Kecleon!"

The pokeball opened up to reveal a rather bizarre looking Pokemon. It was green and reptilian-like and stood on two legs and had a long skinny tail that curled up. There were several markings all over it, and it had a red zigzag across its midsection. The Kecleon crouched down on its four limbs to show I was ready for battle.

"A Kecleon?" Ash muttered as he scanned it with his national dex.

"Kecleon, the color swap Pokemon. Kecleon is able to change its body colors to blend in with its surroundings," the machine informed.

"Color swap Pokemon?" Ash questioned as he looked at the new Pokemon in confusion and let his national dexes words sink in. "It can blend into its surroundings! We need to be careful, Haunter!"

"Haaaaanter," the ghost Pokemon replied with a nod.

"Kecleon versus Haunter! Let the match begin!" the judge yelled with a wave of his flag.

"You know what to do, Kelceon! Turn invisible!" Harrison shouted.

Kecleon nodded once before it did as told and faded completely from view which left an astonished Ash, Pikachu, and Haunter. The ghost Pokemon began to look for any signs of the Kecleon but weren't able to find any.

"Watch out, Haunter! Just turn invisible as well so it can't see you, either! We can even the playing field!" Ash hollered.

"Not so fast, Ash. Kecleon, use Shadow Sneak!"

Before Haunter was even able to turn invisible, it felt a presence behind it. The ghost Pokemon turned around to launch a counterattack, but a shadowy essence was already rushing towards it. Haunter was struck at close range and was knocked down onto the ground.

"Now use Psybeam, Kecleon!" Harrison continued.

"Get up, Haunter! You can do it!" Ash yelled, too.

Haunter tried to keep a look out from where Kecleon could be, but it still drew a blank. Suddenly, a Psybeam appeared from seemingly nowhere and struck Haunter dead on. There was an explosion and Haunter fell to the ground once more. This time it didn't get up.

"Haunter!" Ash cried, but got no response.

The judge ran over to Haunter and made his decision after a few seconds of waiting. "Haunter is unable to battle! The winner is Kecleon!" he declared.

"Haunter goes down, everyone! It put up a great fight against Hypno, but its tricks were no match for Kecleon's!" the announcer commented.

Ash stared in surprise for a moment as Harrison's Kecleon came back into view. Haunter hadn't even put a scratch on that thing. Kecleon could probably stay invisible the entire match if it wanted to. Kecleon probably had several wins under its belt. With an ability like that to turn invisible, and moves like Shadow Sneak to boot, it no doubt was a Pokemon that helped Harrison make it this far in the Orange League. Ash knew that if he wasn't careful with this thing, he would be in serious trouble. It didn't help matters that he had never battled a Kecleon before.

Ash then snapped his fingers a couple of times as he thought of his next Pokemon. He knew he had promised Lapras he would use it in this match. It would be the last time he would ever battle with it, and he wanted it to go out with a bang. However, this Kecleon was really strong and tricky. He wasn't quite sure if an infant Pokemon like his Lapras was up to the task to take on a Pokemon like this. He could use Pikachu whose speed would definitely help in this match, but that still wouldn't be fair to Lapras. Not to mention, its herd was supposed to be watching this match, too. What to do?

"Ash is conflicted on what he wants to do," Leaf noticed.

"Yeah. He told me, too. He said he was going to use Lapras in this match, but it looks like he's having second thoughts," Serena muttered in a worried tone.

"Ash Ketchum seems to be at a standstill, folks. It's like he isn't sure who to use against Harrison's impressive Kecleon!" the announcer said.

Ash took a deep breath. He has been in situations like this before. In the end, he and his Pokemon always seemed to beat the odds. Dragonite's battles when it was a Dratini were a perfect example of this. His Pokemon have proved time and time again how strong they were. It was Lapras' time to shine, and Ash wasn't about to let its last battle go to waste because of its inexperience. Lapras could still win! No. It would win!

"Alright, Pikachu. I'm using Lapras," Ash told it as he brandished his pokeball before he threw it into the air. "Go, Lapras!"

Lapras appeared from Ash's pokeball and landed with a thud on the solid ground. Upon seeing the transport Pokemon, the judge gave a nod and gave a signal up in the announcer's box,

An opening soon appeared in the middle of the battle field before it sunk into the ground. When it rose back up, there was a very large pool for Lapras to move around in so it could be more comfortable. Lapras then began to scoot towards the pool while Kecleon crouched down on its four limbs again to prepare.

"Ash has decided on Lapras, folks! We can expect great things from it, but will it be enough to take out Kecleon?" the announcer asked rhetorically.

"It will. I believe in it," Ash muttered under his breath to himself.

Once Lapras finished scooting into the pool, it swam to the middle and looked quite content. The judge took that as a sign that Lapras had been accommodated well and raised his flag in the air.

"The final match will be between Lapras and Kecleon! Begin!" he shouted.

"Go on and turn invisible again, Kecleon!" Harrison told it as his Pokemon did so.

"Dive underwater Lapras! It won't be able to hit you there!" Ash said.

Lapras gave a cry as it dove underwater, hidden away from the Kecleon, or so they thought.

"Your Pokemon can't hide in the water, either, Ash! Use Feint Attack, Kecleon!" Harrison called out.

Ash gasped as he watched a splash appear in the water from what he knew to be Kecleon jumping in. So that Pokemon could use a never miss attack like Feint Attack, too? This was a lot worse than he thought. There really was no hiding from this thing. It had all the tools at its disposal to make sure it was the only hidden Pokemon on the battlefield.

"Watch out, Lapras! It's coming for you!" Ash hollered, but he knew it was in vain.

A few bubbles soon appeared the surface before Lapras appeared and shook itself of the surprise attack by Kecleon. There was another splash from what was presumed to be Kecleon as it leaped out of the pool. So that plan was no good now.

"It's okay, Lapras! Just shake it off! We can still get this!" Ash encouraged.

Lapras shook its head and tried to look around for the Kecleon. It's family was supposedly watching so it had to win this.

Ash tried look around to see where Kecleon could be, too, before he felt a tug on his pant leg. Ash looked down and saw it was Pikachu who was doing it. It was pointing at something and was clearly wanting to Ash to notice it, too. Ash followed Pikachu's finger and squinted to see if there was something it could see that he or Lapras couldn't.

Ash looked a little harder until he noticed something a little off about the section of the battlefield where Pikachu was pointing. There was lone red strip that appeared to be hovering midair which was rather weird. Wait a second. Ash quickly pulled out his national dex and pulled up an image of Kecleon on it before he looked at it, and then he he looked back at the stripe. He then turned to Pikachu to which the yellow rodent nodded its head. That red stripe looked just like the one on Kecleon's stomach! That's where it was!

"Thanks, Pikachu," Ash told it as he pocketed the national dex and shouted out to Lapras. "Hey Lapras! We can know where Kecleon is at all times! Use Water Gun where that strip is!"

Lapras soon saw what Ash was referring to and quickly shot out a Water Gun from its mouth. The Water Gun sailed through the air and struck the Kecleon dead on. The color swap Pokemon was pushed by the Water Gun into a nearby wall where it guzzled water for a few moments and slumped to the ground. It then lost its invisibility upon being hit.

"Great hit, Lapras!" Ash smiled while Pikachu cheered from its side. So this Kecleon wasn't perfect, after all.

"Not bad, Ash. You found my Kecleon's imperfection," Harrison praised as the Kecleon stood up and turned invisible once more. "However, we have more tricks up our sleeve then that!"

Kecleon then began to dash in circles around the battlefield. It didn't look like it, but it was a surprisingly quick Pokemon. Ash let a sweat drop run down his head as he tried to keep up with Kecleon. Though its stripe never turned invisible, it was still hard to keep up with that tiny stripe without getting an eye strain.

"Use Screech, Kecleon, and then Shadow Sneak!" Harrison ordered.

"Use Ice Beam!" Ash yelled.

An earsplitting cry soon came from Kecleon which caused everyone around, especially Lapras, to grimace at the horrible sound. Before Lapras could even recover, though, it was struck by a phantom force from behind which caused it to cry in pain. Lapras turned around and shot out its Ice Beam, but Kecleon was already gone which caused the attack to miss completely.

Ash sighed at that. It seemed that no matter what he tried to do to that Kecleon, it and Harrison would always one up him. It didn't help matters that Lapras was rather slow and Kecleon was fast. The only place where Lapras would thrive in was the pool while Kecleon had a whole field to run around on. Still, even with Lapras' advantage in the pool, it wasn't like it could hide thanks to Faint Attack. This Kecleon was full of tricks, so he and Lapras needed to find a way to trick Kecleon like Haunter had with Hypno. It was the only way Ash could beat a great trainer like Harrison.

If there was some way Ash could get Kecleon into the pool and stay there, it would put Ash at a great advantage. Even though Lapras couldn't hide in the water didn't mean it couldn't fight back. Still, the plan Ash was thinking of did make him worry a little bit. It would no doubt be effective, but would his Lapras be able to handle it? He sighed and would need to make sure of that.

"Lapras! Do you trust me?" Ash suddenly hollered.

Lapras turned back around and looked at Ash in surprise at that question. Of course it trusted him. That was why it agreed to let him help look for its parents in the first place. It would also have to trust Ash if it was battling for him. Still, the look in Ash's eyes told it something different. It was as if he were asking Lapras something difficult that it was going to do. Lapras wasn't quite sure what the raven-haired boy had in store, but if it would help them win, it was willing to take that risk.

"Laaaaaa!" it replied before it turned back to look for the still moving Kecleon.

Ash took a sigh at this himself. He believed in Lapras and believed it could pull thought this. It was a move Ash recently discovered his Lapras could use through his pokedex. He had never ordered it to use this attack yet as it might put Lapras in danger, too, and that wasn't in his style. Still, the transport Pokemon seemed to know what he was asking of it, and they trusted each other.

"Lapras! Dive into the water!" Ash hollered.

Lapras did as told and dove into the water once more. As soon as it did that, Harrison nodded his head to the Kecleon.

"You still can't get away from Kecleon, Ash! Use Feint Attack, Kecleon!" Harrison called.

There was another blur of movement as Ash waited for the color change Pokemon to enter the pool. Once the obligatory splash was seen, Ash knew he had to act fast.

 _"Here we go,"_ Ash thought to himself before he shouted, "Use Sheer Cold, Lapras!"

Only a couple of seconds after Ash had said that, a sheet of ice appeared inside of the pool. It quickly began to spread all throughout the pool Lapras and Kecleon were in before it reached all around. In a short amount of time, the entire pool was frozen solid!

Ash exhaled once that had happened. The move was already called, and there was no turning back now. He had to rely on Lapras' tolerance to low temperatures and pure strength now. This would be the ultimate test for both of them. He knew Kecleon didn't stand a chance now, but if Lapras had fainted, too, it would be a double knockout, and neither of them would face Drake.

"That was a very bold move by Ketchum, folks! It would take a lot of faith from both the trainer and Pokemon to try something like this! The only question is…will it pay off?" the announcer commented and made his voice sound suspenseful.

Thirty seconds had passed, and still there was no movement from inside the pool. The crowd had gone silent by now. All of them were on the edge of their seats as they waited in suspense for what would come out of the most previous move. Thirty seconds turned to a minute, and Ash was beginning to get a little worried. The judge had also walked to the edge of the pool and looked in to see if he could find any sign of movement in there. He then made an announcement to the two competing trainers.

"I'm sorry, but we cannot wait too much longer. Each of your Pokemon have exactly thirty more seconds to try to get out of the pool before I call the match a draw," he stated.

Ash and Harrison both gritted their teeth as they looked back at the pool and silently prayed for some sort of movement from them. Having to have their Pokemon thawed out of the pool wasn't exactly the ideal plan Ash had in mind. Besides, it would make him look like an irresponsible trainer, as well. Sure, the match would be a draw, but he would definitely be the villain here, and the crowd would most likely boo at him. He really didn't wish to go through something like that again after what had happened at the Indigo League.

The worst part of all of this would be what would become of Lapras. He could imagine the entire Lapras herd wanting to kill him for putting their baby in danger like that. Furthermore, what would Lapras think? Would it hate him, too? Ash was beginning to regret his decision. Surely, there could have been another way to take out that Kecleon. Sure, that was a great surprise that only he would think of, but it was still extremely risky.

 _"Come on, Lapras. You can do it,"_ Ash thought.

Ash then let out gasp as he saw a vague shadow in the pool. The judge seemed to notice this too as he peeked inside briefly before he ran back to the edge of the field. Something was about to happen. Murmurs began to spread throughout the crowd as more and more people began to see the shadow get larger and larger. The shape was much too large to be Kecleon so that only meant one thing.

"Lapras!" Ash yelled as the transport Pokemon burst through the ice a second later.

Everyone gasped once that happened. Bits of ice flew everywhere and scattered around the field but not far enough to hit Ash or Harrison. Ash continued to watch as Lapras continued to work through the ice before it was all the way out. It then let out a cry to show that it was still good to fight.

"Way to go, Lapras!" Ash cheered as Pikachu and the crowd joined in.

"Oh, what a relief. That was way too close," Misty sighed.

"Yeah. Lapras is a part ice-type Pokemon so Ash was using that and Lapras' tolerance to subzero temperatures to survive it. He then had to rely on Lapras' great strength to work itself out of that heavy ice as Kecleon certainly couldn't. I'm glad it paid off," Tracey said.

"That's a little outside of what I'm used to seeing with Ash. I guess he is getting a little bolder with his crazy ideas," Misty giggled.

"He and his Pokemon never cease to amaze us," Leaf sighed.

"He sure doesn't," Serena agreed as she blushed and stood up from her seat with Togepi in her arms. "Let's go meet him outside the stadium."

"Okay, Lapras. I say we let Kecleon out, now," Ash nodded. "Use Body Slam!"

Lapras cried out and raised itself off the ground before it slammed its full body weight on the ice as hard as it could. The ice cracked significantly once Lapras did that. Lapras then did one more Body Slam which completely shattered the ice. There were now several small icebergs floating in the pool as Lapras dove back underneath. A few seconds later, Lapras emerged once more with something in its mouth. It only took a split second to realize it was Kecleon. Lapras then swam over to the edge of the icy pool and gently set the unmoving Kecleon on the ground.

The judge ran over to Kecleon and went to check on its condition. The color change Pokemon was clearly knocked out and showed absolutely no signs of waking up anytime soon. That was when the judge made his decision.

"Kecleon is unable to battle! That winner is Lapras! That means Ash Ketchum has won the match and can now advance to the finals of the Orange League and face Drake, the champion!" he announced.

"There you have it, everyone! That Kecleon was full of tricks, but in the end, Lapras was able to outsmart its maneuvers. Well done to him! We can all see how he made it this far now!" the announcer shouted in excitement as more cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Alright!" Ash cheered as he and Pikachu ran towards Lapras.

Lapras turned in Ash's direction and cried out happily as it pulled itself out of the pool to greet him. As soon as he reached it, Ash threw his arms around the transport Pokemon's neck and hugged it tightly.

"That was amazing, Lapras! You did excellent! I'm really proud of you!" he exclaimed.

"Laaaaa!" it replied as it nuzzled its face against Ash.

"Also, I'm sorry I asked that much of you. I hope you aren't mad at me," Ash said as he looked at Lapras somewhat guiltily

Lapras saw the look on Ash's face and shook its head. Pikachu also looked at Ash and made a slight translation for him. Ash saw Pikachu's movements and nodded his head.

"I see. You knew you could do it in the first place, and a test like this proved how much stronger you've become," Ash guessed.

"Laaaa,"the transport Pokemon nodded.

"Thanks, Lapras. You're the best!" Ash smiled as he hugged the large Pokemon again. "I know your mother is proud of you, also."

"Ash!" a voice called out to him.

Ash looked up and saw Harrison was approaching him. The teenage boy had already returned his Kecleon. Once he reached Ash, he held out a hand for Ash to shake.

"That was great match, Ash! It was definitely the most challenging battle I've had in forever. You really earned your chance to challenge Drake," he said.

"Thanks, Harrison," Ash replied as he returned the handshake. He then looked a little sadly at Harrison. "I feel sort of bad that you won't get a chance to challenge Drake, though."

"No. It's okay. The Orange League was fun, but if I lost to you, that just means I wasn't ready to face Drake yet, anyway. I still have four Orange League badges to show for it, though," Harrison shrugged.

"I see. That Kecleon was really tough, though. I bet Hoenn has some great Pokemon there," Ash commented.

"Oh, it does. You should definitely check it out, sometime," Harrison nodded.

"I think I'll take you up on that one day. I've never been to Hoenn before so I bet it would be a great place to travel to," Ash agreed before he switched topics. "So what are your plans now, Harrison?"

"I think I'll head off to the Johto region. That is one place I haven't been to yet and would love to see. I'll take the gym challenge there and compete in the Silver Conference," Harrison replied.

"I hear ya. I've never been to Johto myself. If I decide to travel there, maybe we'll run into each other again," Ash smiled.

"Maybe so," Harrison nodded before he added, "Just watch out. You won this time, but that means I'll be the one to beat you next time. You owe me another battle."

"Count on it," Ash smiled. "I'll take you on anytime, Harrison!"

"Sounds good!" Harrison responded before he turned around with a wave. "Well, I'll be seeing you, Ash. Good luck against Drake!"

"Thanks!" Ash called out as he watched Harrison leave.

He then turned to the crowd and saw everyone was still in their seats and were rooting for him. Ash blushed in embarrassment for receiving this much attention. No doubt there would be an even bigger crowd when he faced Drake, if it was even possible. Speaking of the Orange League champion, Ash spotted him in the announcer's box, and he was looking straight into Ash's eyes. Their gazes met and held for only a few moments. Drake then broke contact before he turned and walked away. A poke from Lapras remind Ash that it was still there. Ash smiled back at his Lapras before he hugged it again.

"Thanks a lot, Lapras! You did excellent! I'm proud of you," he said again.

Yeah. Lapras really did go out with a bang. It's time with Ash really did prove how much stronger it had become.

* * *

As Ash and Pikachu walked out of the stadium, they were immediately greeted by the rest of the group in the tunnel. Serena was first as she ran over and hugged Ash tightly.

"You did so great, Ash! Lapras and Haunter did, too!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah. It was them who were able to pull off those stunts. I just gave the command and believed in them," Ash smiled as he hugged Serena back. Togepi jumped up and down and hugged Ash's pant leg, as well.

"Here we have future Orange League champion, Ash Ketchum! How do you feel?!" Leaf asked as she held up an imaginary microphone for Ash to speak into.

"I feel great! Like I can take on anybody!" Ash spoke into it.

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu cried as Leaf crouched down and let the yellow rodent talk into it, also.

"Well, Ash! Now that you're going to get your chance to battle Drake, I say we treat you to some great food!" Tracey suggested. By now he knew what grabbed Ash's attention.

"Come on, guys! You're already acting like I won the tournament. I still have to face Drake," Ash laughed before he added. "Still, food sounds good! I'll be sure to let Lapras and Haunter have the most!"

As the five friends began to walk out of the tunnel, they spotted a figure coming towards them. Closer inspection revealed that it was none other than Drake. The group stopped walking and waited for the young man to approach them. Ash had already met him once before, but the rest of them hadn't. Despite this, they still could tell who he must be.

"Drake," Ash muttered.

"Hi, Ash. I just wanted to tell you good luck in our match. I look forward to it," Drake said.

"Thanks, Drake," Ash replied.

"I think you are the most promising challenger I've had in quite a while," Drake continued.

"I do?" Ash questioned. He had a feeling he knew where Drake was going with this.

"That's right. You remind me a lot of only person to beat me in five years. As I watched you battle, your style reminded me a lot of him," Drake said.

"There goes that trainer again," Misty sighed with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh? You've heard of him?" Drake questioned as he looked in Misty's direction.

"We all have," Serena replied. "Do you know his name?"

"Of course I do," Drake nodded. "Since he was inducted into the Orange League Hall of Fame, we needed his name for our records."

"Just who was this guy, anyway?" Ash wondered. "We hear about him wherever we go in the Orange Islands. He must be a really great trainer."

"I'll show you," Drake replied before he added, "After we have our match. I can only bring participating trainers into the Hall of Fame. I'll let you bring your friends, too, though, as an exception."

"Alright," Ash agreed. He had been itching to know who it was. The fact that Drake and Luana told Ash that he battled a lot like the mystery trainer really intrigued him.

"In that case, I'll take my leave. Enjoy the day with your friends, Ash," Drake said as he turned around to leave. "I'll see you in two days in the championship."

With that, Drake walked away. The group stared after a while at Drake's retreating back. So far, they knew he had one extremely powerful Pokemon, his Dragonite. There was no telling what other kind of strong Pokemon he would have on his team. The fact that so few people beat him must mean he's among the elite. That trainer from five years ago did, however. That proved Drake wasn't invincible. If Ash reminded Drake of that trainer, that meant that Ash had a shot of beating him, too. He would just really need to bring his best skills with him.

* * *

It was almost sunset on Pummelo Island now. The group and their Pokemon had a huge dinner for Ash as congratulations to him for making it all the way to the Orange League championship. Now, however, Ash still remembered there was one thing he promised after the end of the match today.

Everyone stood on the beach as Ash had his Lapras out. Lapras' herd was not too far behind Lapras as they patiently awaited the baby Pokemon to rejoin them. Along with Ash, they were also extremely proud of the baby Lapras right now. It would make a fine member of their group. For a while, nobody said anything until Ash let out a sigh. It was time.

"Well, Lapras, it looks like they are waiting for you," Ash told it.

"Laaaa," Lapras mumbled sadly.

"As much as we loved having you with us, we know you're better off with your herd," Ash added.

"Though you were like family to us, too," Serena said to Lapras.

"Yeah. We'll miss all of those smooth rides you gave us throughout he Orange Islands, too," Misty giggled slightly. "Even I'll admit it was a lot better than my Gyarados!"

Lapras nodded again and turned to face its herd. There they were. Lapras had missed them so much. It longed every single day to see them since it got separated from them in a storm. Now that they were here, Lapras was of course overjoyed, but that meant it would be leaving Ash, too. It then turned back to Ash.

"La. La. Laaaaa," it cried softly.

"Hahaha. I can't come with you, Lapras. Our paths just happen to split here. I'll never forget you, though," Ash told it with a sad smile.

Lapras frowned at that. Yes. It knew that Ash wouldn't be able to come with them. That was just wishful thinking on its part. Still, Lapras had so much to thank the boy for. It had gotten so much stronger since it joined him. Before, Lapras had been weak and distrustful. This boy had shown it how to be strong, though. It hadn't just become physically stronger, but it had matured, also. It now no longer got scared so easily and could handle its own in tough situation as its previous battle had shown. It never would've found this strength so soon if it wasn't for Ash.

"Laaaaaa!" the infant Lapras' mother called out to it.

"See. Your mother is there," Ash muttered before he smiled despite the somberness he was feeling. "Go on! Get out of here!"

Lapras nodded before it lifted one of its fins and playfully splashed Ash with seawater. Ash gasped once Lapras did that and gave a mock look of anger at Lapras. Its mischievous side just had to show one last time, of course.

"Lapras," Ash scolded before he laughed as Lapras rubbed its face against him. "It's okay. I know you were just kidding around."

"Oh. We're going to miss you doing that, Lapras," Leaf said.

Lapras and Ash then stared at each other for a moment longer before Ash took a deep breath. He never liked saying goodbye, but sometimes he had to.

"Goodbye, Lapras," he muttered.

Lapras then turned and began to swim to its herd. As Ash watched it, he lowered his head and let the shadow of his cap cover his eyes. He then began to reminisce about all of the good times he had with Lapras. He remembered the day he found it with Tracey in the ocean and how it was so scared of him. Still, he had gained its trust and won the race against Cissy on Mikan Island, and of course, it won him his most recent win to get into Orange League championship. Lapras was an invaluable Pokemon.

Lapras reached its herd and had a few thoughts going through its mind, too. Now that it was back with its family, would it continue to grow stronger? It was the baby of the group again and would be reliant on them again. That would almost make all of the growing it had with Ash a waste. It was still young and had so many opportunities to get stronger. It missed its mother dearly, but if it stayed with them, would that inhibit its maturing?

Lapras soon reached its mother as the two gave an affectionate hug once more. Once it was done, it then cried out softly to its mother as if it were asking her a serious question. Lapras' mother looked taken aback for moment before it peered at Ash and the rest of the group.

"What's Lapras doing?" Serena wondered as she watched the scene take place.

Ash raised his head up from his thoughts at Serena's words. He was honestly surprised that they hadn't left yet. He saw Lapras' mother have a sad look on its face before it turned more understanding. Just was Lapras saying to its mother and the rest of the herd anyway? Pikachu seemed to understand what it was staying, and it grinned broadly.

"What's up, Pikachu?" Ash asked it.

Pikachu just shook its head and began leap up and down excitedly. Ash quirked his eyebrow at this before he turned and tilted his head in confusion. Lapras was actually swimming back towards him! The transport Pokemon soon reached him before it began to nuzzle its face against his and licked his face with it long tongue affectionately.

"Lapras! That tickles!" Ash laughed.

Once Lapras was done, Ash stared in confusion at Lapras for a moment. The Pokemon was staring into his eyes and had a resolute expression its face. It showed no sign that it was swimming back to its herd anytime soon. Ash's eyes widened when he realized what Lapras was implying.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that you actually want to stay…with me?" he questioned in amazement.

"Laaaaaa!" the transport Pokemon confirmed with a nod.

"From being a Pokemon Watcher, Ash, I can tell that Lapras really likes you. You helped it mature and get stronger in ways it wouldn't get to if it stayed with its herd," Tracey told him.

"Is that true?" Ash questioned.

"Laaaaa," it replied.

Ash was filled with elation as tears came to his eyes. "Well, if that's the case, of course you can stay, Lapras! I'd love to have you as a permanent member of my team!"

Lapras grinned at before it reached down and brought its head beneath Ash. The raven-haired boy let out a yelp as Lapras flipped him onto its back. It then turned around and faced its mother.

The mother Lapras then swam over and hugged its baby one last time. It then looked at Ash and nodded its head. It knew the reason why its baby had chosen this boy. It wanted to continue to grow and get stronger. This boy could help it achieve that desire.

"Don't worry. I promise I'll take great care of it. You have my word," Ash reassured.

The mother Lapras nodded its head. The raven-haired boy had already proved it could be trusted. It lingered for only a moment before it cried out to signal to the rest of the herd that they were ready to leave now, to which the rest of them nodded.

"Wait. Was your mother the leader of the herd?" Ash questioned Lapras in interest.

"Laaaa," it replied in the positive.

"Heh. How about that," Ash commented as he watched the Lapras leave.

The Lapras continued to swim further and further way. Despite this, Lapras still had the resolute expression on its face. The fact that's mother didn't look back proved that it knew this was the best decision for its baby, as well. Maybe they would see each other again, but if they didn't, that was still okay. They had their goodbye, and Lapras could prove it could make it on its own again.

"We'll do your mom proud, Lapras! What do you say?!" Ash asked, to which it nodded.

"Don't forget you have your own mom to make proud by winning the Orange League, Ash!" Serena reminded.

"Yeah. We both have moms to make proud, Lapras. I say we don't disappoint them," Ash agreed.

"Laaa!" Lapras cried out. It was delighted of its decision to stay with Ash.

The group then turned back to the retreating herd. They were almost out of sight. Lapras had made a very important decision regarding its future. It chose to become stronger. Ash had to become stronger, as well, and he could do that by winning the Orange League tournament. He was now more fired up than ever about winning the tournament. Despite Drake's obvious power, Ash knew he had what it took to win. It was going to be the biggest match of his to date, and he was determined to win and do everyone proud, just like Lapras had done today.

* * *

 **Nah. It wasn't Blaziken that was Harrison's Hoenn Pokemon. It will still appear in the Silver Conference, though. Whoops. Was that a spoiler? Oh well.**

 **Yeah. I still remember the poll where Lapras staying won by a landslide, but I still had to make it seem like it was going to leave and give it a legitimate reason to stay with Ash. A simple "they would miss each other" is really lame.**

 **The Chikorita poll is closed! Boy was it was close! Within ten votes of each other, and a lot people voted. The winner was...Ash keeps Chikorita! HOWEVER!**

 **With it being so close, it feels weird just simply going with the only slightly bigger majority. Actually, I kind of like the idea of Serena having Chikorita. Please enlighten me in PMs of why Serena or Ash should have Chikorita. Don't clog the review box with it please unless you're a guest! Providing good reasons for doing one thing or the other go a long way. If I find the reasons for Serena getting Chikorita in this fic are much greater than Ash, I may write that Serena gets Chikorita, after all. Of course, if nobody speaks up, I'll just go along with what the poll says. Despite the poll, it's ultimately still up to me as the author to decide what I want to write. The polls just let me know what more people want to read.**

 **The Orange League starts next, and it has a surprise in it! Bet you can't guess what it is!**

 **Chapter 22: The Orange League Champion**

 **Answering the Questions:**

 _Will Fennekin evolve?  
_

 ** _Not until a really long time from now._**

 _When do you plan on Ash getting his Aerodactyl back? Will it be cured of its instincts.  
_

 ** _Before Hoenn, and yes, it will be 'cured'._**

 _Why aren't you doing the other movies?  
_

 ** _Because they don't really have an impact on what this series is about. They feel more like filler content than anything. Pokemon Ranger Temple of the Sea? Meh. I don't know. If some way I find a super good reason to do it that doesn't disrupt the flow of this story...maybe._**

 _Will Wobbuffet be in the Johto arc?  
_

 ** _Yes. That's all I will say on the matter._**

 _Will the battle between Ash and Drake be decided between two chapters?_

 ** _One and a half chapters, technically._**

 _Speaking of which, is Fennekin the only Kalos Pokemon that will make an early appearance?_

 ** _Besides Braixen, there will be a few Sinnoh and Unova Pokemon that pop up here and there, but they will be few and far between until Sinnoh._**


	22. The Orange League Champion

**A/N: The much anticipated battle with Drake is underway! Nothing to say except please enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 22: The Orange League Champion

It was rather early right now on Pummelo Island. Ash was inside the garage of the Pokemon Center right now, a rather new experience for him. Beside him was a convertible which looked ready to roll. Another man in his forties or so was also there. Ash had wondered why on Earth he was being summoned here at nine in the morning by this guy, but he soon got his answer when the host told him.

"Wait? I get to what?!" Ash exclaimed.

"You are the challenger of the champion. It's a great honor to do so. Naturally, you get to ride to your match inside of a convertible," the host answered.

"You're kidding! That's so cool!" Ash grinned.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu added, equally excited.

"You can wave to all of the people we pass by and encourage them to cheer you on! It always excites people to no end when they get to see a legend in the making," the host told him.

"Heheheh. This makes it sound like I'm the champion of the Orange League rather than Drake with riding to my match in a convertible and all," Ash grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, don't worry. Drake always prefers to enter the stadium his own way. People are just as excited to see him," the host assured Ash.

"Hahaha. Yeah. Of course," Ash chuckled while he wondered how Drake planned to enter the stadium.

Despite this, Ash was super pumped. He had never ridden in a convertible before. He could wave to everyone while they all shouted encouraging things to him. He would see his friends as he passed. He would flash them his signature V-shape with his fingers. Then Serena would see him. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face as he passed her by. His girlfriend would see how cool he looked. Maybe if he won the Orange League, they could go for a spin together in this thing. They would ride along the beach and drive to the sunset.

That was until Ash remembered he was only twelve and didn't know how to drive yet.

"Pika Pi," Pikachu called as it waved a tiny yellow hand in Ash's face.

"Huh? Oh. Hey, buddy," Ash muttered as he snapped out of his daydream.

Ash then blushed in embarrassment which caused Pikachu to snicker. Since when did he have those types of fantasies with Serena? That sounded more like something she would do. He wasn't as oblivious as he used to be and knew Serena had a few scenarios go through her mind every now and then. What on Earth they were, however, was completely up to the imagination.

"Well, Ash, your match starts at ten. If you want to make it on time, we better get moving," the host reminded him.

"Yes, sir! Sounds good!" Ash replied as he pumped his fist into the air.

Ash then went to try to hop into the convertible without using the door. He had seen the cool people do this in movies before. Unfortunately, Ash wasn't tall enough to make a high enough leap inside and ended up tripping on his foot on the way in. He gasped and fell flat on his face on the floorboard while Pikachu laughed its head off at Ash's clumsiness. He was letting this go to his head, and the yellow rodent thought it was comedic gold.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure it was hilarious, Pikachu," Ash mumbled as got up and instead sat in the seat. The only thing that really hurt from that display was Ash's pride.

The host merely shook his head and let out a light chuckle before he got in the convertible the proper way. He then cranked the engine and pressed the garage door opener. The Pokemon Center garage door opened, and light began to pour inside of the darker room. As it opened, Ash began to hear the crowd outside waiting for him.

"Uh, if you don't mind me asking, about how many people come to see the Orange League finals every year?" Ash asked the driver.

"I'd say the average is about twenty thousand people," the driver answered simply.

"Twenty thousand people!?" Ash exclaimed. "I didn't know the Pummelo Stadium could hold that many people!"

"It can't," the driver chuckled as he put the car in drive now that the garage door was fully open. He then began to drive very slowly out.

Ash leaned back in his seat and took a deep breath. Twenty thousand people was almost as big as the crowd in the Pokemon League tournament. It wasn't the sheer amount of people that shocked him the most, though. It was the fact that a tournament on a seemingly much smaller magnitude drew in such a crowd. Ash severely underestimated the honor he was receiving by competing against the Orange League Champion.

"Wow," Ash muttered instead as they got closer to the light.

Ash had to shield his eyes in the early morning sun as the convertible fully made it outside. Once Ash's eyes adjusted, he took his arm away from his head, and his mouth hung open at what he saw. A huge crowd of people was waiting for him on either side of the road. They all broke out into huge applause at the sight of him. Ash looked around in awe. This many people had come to root for him. Just how good of a Pokemon trainer did they think he was?

"Check it out, Pikachu," Ash muttered as they slowly went by the cheering crowd.

"Well, don't just sit there and gawk at them. Wave!" the driver smiled.

"Uh..oh! Right!" Ash realized as he brought up his arm and waved back to the crowd. That only seemed to excite them more.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu shouted as it waved, as well.

As Ash continued to wave, he began to gain a lot more confidence. This was the perfect way to fully pump himself up for the match to come. To go to his match in such an awesome way really boosted his attitude about it. He wasn't particularly scared of his coming match, but last night did leave him rather apprehensive. He had spent practically an hour choosing which Pokemon he would use.

 _XXX_

 _"Hmm…," Ash mused as he sat on his bed at the Pokemon Center._

 _"Still thinking about which Pokemon to use, Ash?" Tracey asked as he came out of the bathroom from a shower._

 _"Yeah. It would help a lot if I knew which kind of Pokemon Drake was going to use," Ash muttered._

 _"Well, I think he keeps his team a secret to make sure the playing field is completely even. It's just another one of the things that makes this a really tough match. You're going in completely blind," Tracey agreed._

 _"I know he has a Dragonite, but I don't want to build my team solely around that, or it may cost me," Ash said._

 _"I'm sure that Dragonite is his toughtest Pokemon. I can only imagine how many trainers have lost to it," Tracey commented before he added, "So do you have a counter for it?"_

 _"Nothing except my own Dragonite and Lapras," Ash responded. "Lapras has the type advantage since it's part ice, but it and Dragonite are both inexperienced while who knows how many battles Drake's Dragonite has won. Even so, I'm giving Lapras a break this match. I'm going to send it back to Professor Oak's lab and let it tell all of my other Pokemon that it will be a permanent member of our team."_

 _"I gotcha," Tracey replied as he sat on the bed opposite of Ash's._

 _For a while, neither of them spoke. Ash didn't because he was too busy thinking, and Tracey didn't because he didn't want to disturb Ash. The raven-haired boy was going through every single Pokemon in his head about which ones would be most effective. Charizard and Dragonite are definitely the strongest members on his team right now so he had to go with them. Primeape also had an incredible fighting spirit so it might not be a bad idea for it to compete, also. Pidgeot, Bulbasaur, and Wartortle had been with him the longest so they were veterans of his team. Using Pidgeot might not be wise, though, as he already had two other flying types, but Wartortle and Bulbasaur would provide great coverage._

 _"I'm going to use Pikachu, Charizard, and Dragonite for sure. They'll provide the most fire power on my team," Ash decided. "I'll also use Primeape, Bulbsaur, and Wartortle for balance."_

 _"Sounds like a well-rounded team to me, Ash," Tracey shrugged._

 _"Yeah. I'll call Professor Oak early tomorrow morning for the exchange. He's probably asleep by now anyway," Ash figured as he took a glance at the clock and saw it was almost eleven at night. Professor Oak was usually in bed right at ten._

 _"Alright. So what's the deal with Nurse Joy telling you to be in the Pokemon Center garage at eight-thirty in the morning?" Tracey wondered._

 _"Eh…who knows? I just hope I won't get mugged," Ash replied as he got under the blanket of his bed with Pikachu curling up in a ball at the foot of it._

 _"Yeah. Best of luck tomorrow, Ash. We know you can do it," Tracey told Ash as he turned off the lamp, and the room was in blackness._

 _"Heheh. Yeah. Not only will my name go down in the Orange League Hall of Fame, but Serena promised me something really great if I won," Ash said as he unknowingly turned red._

 _"Her virginity…," Tracy mumbled under his breath._

 _"What?!" Ash exclaimed in horror as he sat straight up in his bed, quite sure he had misheard the Pokemon Watcher._

 _"Nothing, Ash," Tracey quietly snickered._

 _Ash slowly laid back down in his bed and sighed, but still beet red, but for a different reason now. He didn't know Tracey was capable of making those types of jokes. That sounded more like a comment that would come from Brock._

 _XXX_

After the convertible had been driving for a while, Ash became more and more confident as he went on. He finally found his friends: Serena, Leaf, Misty, and Tracey on one side about halfway of the ride to the stadium. Once they saw him, they all began to applaud the loudest as Ash grinned back at them. He then stood up in his seat and waved back to them.

As Serena watched Ash as he waved in the convertible, she couldn't help but think how cool Ash looked right now. There was a slight morning breeze outside which made his raven hair sway a little bit. Then there was the horde of people on either side of the roadway and people who were now following the convertible and were cheering for him. Serena felt a slight blush come to her cheeks as she watched her boyfriend bask in his moment. He was so cool.

"Watch out," the driver called back just before he ran into a pothole.

The car gave a jolt once it hit it. The shock wasn't too bad, but it was enough to make Ash lose his balance and fall back into the car. Everyone laughed at Ash's clumsiness while Serena sweat dropped. Her Ash fantasy had been shattered. So much for her boyfriend being extremely cool.

Ash quickly climbed back up to the top of the seat and flashed his signature V-shape with his fingers. Rather than the confident smile he had on earlier, this one looked a lot cheesier and more embarrassed.

"Sorry about that! I'm okay!" he amended.

Despite the laughs they just had, the audience started applauding once more. At least he was being a good sport about it. Serena rolled her eyes but applauded nevertheless. Yes. She had a really clumsy boyfriend sometimes. That was just one of the many things she loved about him, though.

* * *

The convertible reached Pummelo Stadium about forty five minutes later. It then parked right outside the entrance tunnel. The driver then nodded his head to Ash to which Ash nodded back. He then thanked the driver for the ride and climbed out of the vehicle. As soon as he did, he took one last look at the crowd who was cheering him on. He then tipped his hat to them before he turned to Pikachu.

"Ready to have our match and win, buddy?" he asked it.

"Pikachu!" it responded.

Ash then turned around and began to walk into the entrance tunnel while the crowd went the other way to enter the spectator section of the stadium. Ash wished he had a chance to talk to his friends before he had his match. He knew it would be impossible with the huge amount of people there already were, though. It would take forever to find them, and that may cause him to be late for his match. It was something he would rather avoid.

One Ash was inside of the tunnel, he walked with Pikachu until he was halfway in and waited for his name to be called. He still had a few minutes so he decided to let all of his Pokemon out to have one final word with them before the match. He opened his pokeballs to reveal Bulbasaur, Wartortle, Charizard, Primeape, and Dragonite. Pikachu also scooted in a little closer to the Pokemon. Ash then gave all of them a serious look.

"Okay, guys. This is it. It took a long time, but we're finally at the championship of the Orange League. I couldn't have made it this far without any of you, so thank you," he said.

His Pokemon then nodded their heads in agreement.

"I just want each of you guys to know that no matter how we do, I'm still proud of you all. Even though my Pokemon back at the lab can't hear me say this, I still couldn't have made it this far without them, either. Every single one of you is special and the best group of Pokemon a guy could ever ask for. I know I said I'm proud of you no matter how we do, but let's still give it our all. Let's go down in history as the first trainer to win the Orange League in five years!" he shouted the last part.

All of his Pokemon gave a cry in affirmation. Ash then put his hands in as each one of his Pokemon put in something of theirs, whether it be hands, feet, or vines. They then looked each other in the eyes before they broke contact. They could do this. That was when Ash and his Pokemon heard the announcer make his call.

"Ladies and gentleman! The championship of the Orange League is about to get underway. May I now present to you the challenger for today who will be battling Drake, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" he shouted.

"That's our cue," Ash told them.

He then returned his Pokemon except for Pikachu and began to walk into the stadium. Once he made it outside, his eyes widened. If Ash thought the stadium was crowded two days ago when he had his match with Harrison, this one really took the cake. There were some people who weren't even in a seat and took to leaning against the railings or sitting right in the middle of some of the stairways. If things kept up like this, they would really need to build a bigger stadium.

"Nobody has bested the champion of the Orange League in five years. Ash hopes to break this winning streak today and earn the coveted Orange League Trophy as well as his place in the Orange League Hall of Fame!" the announcer continued.

Ash still waved to everyone just like he had in the convertible. He was totally fired up for this match and ready to win. Though he couldn't see them, he knew Serena, Leaf, Misty, and Tracey were up there. He was also quite sure that his mother, Grace, Riley, Rose, Yellow, and Professor Oak were all watching him on TV right now. He would do them all proud today. Ash then made it over to where he would be standing for the match before the announcer made his next statement.

"We will now present the leader of the Orange League and reigning champion now! Everyone please give it up for Drake!" he stated.

Ash looked around on the other side of the stadium for any sign of the man. He then rose his eyebrow in confusion when he saw nothing. Was he just being fashionably late? Ash doubted it. Drake didn't seem like that kind of person from what Ash had seen of him so far. Ash then heard applause break out once more. Ash turned to them and saw they were looking upward. He looked up as well and soon found out how Drake was entering.

His Dragonite was flying high into the stadium with Drake on top of it. It then swooped in and passed close by a few people who were near the edge of the stadium. Once they were closer to the ground, Drake hopped off the back of his Dragonite and landed onto the ground. His Dragonite then followed and landed near Drake. The Orange League champion then began to wave to everyone while they cheered for him just like they had for Ash. The raven-haired boy couldn't help but smile himself. Still, with that experienced Dragonite beside him, Drake did look like an intimidating opponent.

Once he was done, Drake returned his Dragonite to the pokeball around his neck and made his way over to Ash. The raven-haired boy walked to Drake, too, and they gave each other the traditional handshake once they reached each other.

"Well, Ash. Welcome to the official Orange League championship match. I know you're an excellent trainer to have made it this far," Drake told him.

"Thanks, Drake. I'm happy to be here," Ash replied.

"I expect a lot of great things from you. Are you ready to battle?" Drake asked him.

"You bet!" Ash said enthusiastically.

"The judge will now make his way over to the combatants to explain the rules!" the announcer narrated.

Ash and Drake turned toward the judge who was now approaching them. He took a bow to each of them before he began explaining the rules.

"This will be a six on six Pokemon match. When three of one trainer's Pokemon are unable to battle, there will be a field change. As you can see, the first field will be a rock and water field," the judge said as he gestured to the field around them.

"Got it," Ash replied. So there would be different types of fields during this match.

"That's correct. Also, Drake is unable to switch Pokemon at any time during the match, but the challenger may switch whenever," the judge continued.

 _"That gives me somewhat of an advantage. I'll have to make good use of that,"_ Ash thought. Still, the fact that no one has beaten Drake in five years even with this rule in effect was just a testament to how powerful Drake was.

"This winner's trophy match is about to begin. Please choose your Pokemon carefully, and we'll be underway," the judge nodded and left to his place on the battle field with Ash and Drake doing the same.

"We will now see what Pokemon the trainers will choose first. It's an important decision that will give us a good idea of the strategy they are planning," the announcer said as a bell sounded to signify the starting of the match.

"Okay, Ash. As the champion, I'll choose my Pokemon first. It should leave quite an impression on you," Drake smirked as he tossed his pokeball forward. "Ditto, go!"

The grayish-pink blob of a Pokemon appeared and landed on one of the rocks. It then began making various macho poses as a testament to how strong it was. Though Ash normally wouldn't be that intimidated by one, he had an arsenal of strong Pokemon with him right now. Anything he chose, Ditto would copy.

"Pikachu, I'll start off with you! I know you're the best Pikachu out there and can handle a Ditto. Let's win that trophy!" Ash told it.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded as it rushed forward and stood on one of the rocks, as well, and sparked its cheeks at the Ditto.

"Begin!" the judge declared and waved his flags down.

"Transform, Ditto!" Drake called out immediately.

The imitation Pokemon then let out a cry and morphed into an exact likeness of Pikachu. Both Ash and Pikachu didn't let that deter them, however.

"Okay, Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!" Ash hollered.

"Use Thunderbolt, too, Ditto!" Drake countered.

Both Pikachu and Ditto leaped towards each other. Just before they met in the middle of the battlefield, they launched the electric attack at each other. Both bits of electricity met midway, but the two Pokemon seemed to be equally powerful, but that wasn't too surprising considering that Ditto copied Pikachu's stats perfectly. Drake took advantage of this situation, however.

"Use Quick Attack, Ditto!" Drake called.

Both Pokemon reached the height of their jump and began to descend back towards the ground. Ditto canceled its electric attack and shot towards Pikachu. The Thunderbolt Pikachu was still shooting was easily absorbed by Ditto, and the imitation Pokemon slammed into Pikachu's stomach. The yellow rodent gasped in pain as it was knocked to the ground. Ditto soon followed and landed right on top of Pikachu, which effectively knocked the wind out of it.

"Pikachu!" Ash called in worry.

Pikachu began to choke as it desperately began to draw in air again. It couldn't do anything in the state it was in right now.

"Ditto, use Iron Tail," Drake told it.

Pikachu was just able to breathe again when Ditto smashed a glowing white tail right in its face. Pikachu cried out in pain where it flew backwards and slammed against a rock.

"Use Quick Attack again, Ditto!" Drake ordered.

The Ditto then dashed after Pikachu who was still recovering from the shock of hitting its back against one of the jagged rocks. Ash, meanwhile, couldn't believe how this battle was going. This Ditto was super strong and was playing to Pikachu's strengths perfectly. They could still do this, however. Ash took a quick glance at his Pikachu slumped against the rock and saw it still required some time before it could fight again so telling to move would be futile. Instead, he tried something else. He had wait just a second, though. Just before Ditto reached Pikachu, Ash made his move.

"Lie on your back and flip Ditto over!" Ash yelled.

Pikachu did just that, albeit a little tiredly. Before Ditto could attack, Pikachu grabbed the clone's arms and used its momentum to cause Ditto to completely miss. Ditto sailed over Pikachu's body and crashed face first in the huge rock that Pikachu was against. A few people in the crowd winced. That had to hurt.

"Now give that Ditto a good slap with your electricity!" Ash shouted.

Knowing what Ash meant, Pikachu charged its tail up with electricity and struck its clone in the backside before it could recover. The force which Ditto was hit with caused it to be pushed forward and blast apart the rock it was pushed up against. Several bits of rock debris landed on Ditto while Ash smiled at the handiwork his Pikachu did. Yep. Ditto could copy Pikachu, but it couldn't stand up to Pikachu's power.

"Great job, Pikachu!" Ash called out before his eyes widened. Despite the bits of rock that just pounded it, Drake's Ditto still stood up! "Hurry, Pikachu use Quick Attack!"

"Iron Tail, Ditto!" Drake hollered.

Pikachu dashed at Ditto, but the fake yellow rodent glowed its tail and knocked one of the small rocks towards it. Pikachu nimbly dodged the rock and slammed into Ditto's stomach, but the Ditto was relentless. It grabbed Pikachu by the head and swung its body in an arc. Pikachu made the short trip down and fell on its back, which caused it to gasp again.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash cried. How was this possible?! He didn't know a match with a Ditto could be this brutal. That wasn't just some showing off when Ditto was striking its macho poses before.

Despite the amount of pain it was in, Pikachu shot out its electricity. Ditto grimaced for only the briefest of moments before it smiled and used the strength of its tail to lift up one of the small rocks. Though it was small by normal standards, it was still the same size as Pikachu. Ash gasped when he saw what Ditto was about to do.

"Pikachu! Get out of there with Agility!" he shouted.

Pikachu knew what Ditto was doing, too, and immediately halted the attack. It then moved to do Agility, but the clone Pikachu had already chucked the rock at Pikachu. The rock smashed into Pikachu's face, but it used its electricity to break the rock apart. It then began to circle around the battle field with its Agility to confuse its opponent, but Ditto didn't seem the least bit worried.

"Use Agility, too, Ditto!" Drake hollered.

Both Pikachu circled the battle field before they hopped on the rocks and began leaping from rock to rock. They were going so fast that no one saw them move between the rocks. It was almost as if they were teleporting.

"Wild Charge, Pikachu!" Ash hollered, hoping its momentum would give it a lot of firepower for this attack.

"You, too, Ditto!" Drake commanded, which caused Ash to grit his teeth.

Both Pokemon leaped towards the other at breakneck speed before their bodies became engulfed in an excess amount of electricity. Pikachu and Ditto crashed into each other, and both of them screamed in their determination to overpower the other. Like Ash, Pikachu was amazed at this Ditto. By now, almost all Ditto would've tired out because Pikachu are naturally in better shape than Ditto. Not to toot its own horn, but Pikachu knew its health was greater than most Pikachu. This Ditto was extremely well trained. The worst part was Pikachu felt its strength leaving it fast from Wild Charge. It had to help Ash win the Orange League! Pikachu panted and took one last look at Ditto, who smirked at seeing who the triumphant one was in this battle, and Pikachu shut its eyes at what came next.

The incredible force of the two Wild Charges then caused an explosion, and both Pikachu and Ditto were sent flying backwards. Ditto landed on the ground and skidded for a moment before it back flipped back onto its feet. Ash's Pikachu, meanwhile, landed on the ground and skidded for a moment. It didn't get back on its feet, however.

"Pikachu! No!" Ash shouted. There was no way.

Pikachu, however, just lied on its back and panted heavily. How could this have happened? It had won so many arduous battles for its trainer. In the end, though, it had lost to its own copy. Did that mean that it wasn't strong enough yet? Did this prove there were many Pikachu out there who were greater than it was? Despite how strong this Ditto was, Pikachu still was overpowered by itself basically. It had fought its hardest in this match, knowing what the stakes were, but in the end, that wasn't enough. Pikachu gave a shudder before it went limp, completely knocked out.

"Pikachu is unable to battle!" the judge announced.

"There you have it, folks. Drake's powerful Ditto is victorious once more. Like you just witnessed, many trainers have fallen to this tricky Pokemon. This just shows how knowledgeable Drake is with how he was able to play to any Pokemon, no matter what it is!" the announcer commented while the crowd roared in approval at the exciting matchup that just took place.

Ash paid them no mind, however. He was in complete shock. Pikachu, his first Pokemon and longtime partner through everything, had been knocked out in the very first round. It lost to a Ditto of all things, too. Ash began replay the match through his mind as he tried to discover what on Earth it was that he did wrong. Horror began to dawn on his face as he realized there really wasn't anything. Neither he or Pikachu made any mistakes, and Pikachu fought incredibly well. It took several blows to its weak spots and gave it all it had. The fact was Ditto simply overpowered it.

Serena, Misty, Tracey, and Leaf were all in just as much shock as Ash was. Pikachu was among Ash's strongest Pokemon, and it was out already. Just like Ash, they had seen Pikachu in a number of bad situations where it took out tougher Pokemon than a Ditto. Ritchie's Pikachu, Lt. Surge's Riachu, and most amazing of all, Giovanni's Rhyperior, even though it was powered by aura against the last one. The fact that it lost the first match spoke many words about how tough Drake's Pokemon were. This really would be Ash's most difficult match so far.

"Oh. Poor Pikachu," Serena muttered sadly.

"Prriiiii," Togepi whimpered, also equally upset at seeing its big brother lose.

Ash took a deep breath to calm himself. He then looked towards the judge to see if it was okay. Upon seeing the nod, Ash ran towards his fallen Pikachu and scooped it up in his arms. Tears came to his eyes as he saw that Pikachu wasn't just simply unable to battle, it truly was out cold, showing how exhausted that match had made it.

"Pikachu, you fought really well. Don't feel bad, buddy. I'm proud of you," Ash whispered to it, though he knew it couldn't hear him.

Ash then carried Pikachu back over to his side. He then knelt down and unzipped his backpack and withdrew his sleeveless jacket that he hadn't wore since coming to the Orange Islands. He laid it out on the ground and gently set Pikachu on it so it would have a soft place to rest. He then stood back up and faced Drake and Ditto again, trying not to think about the terrible start he was having so far. Both Drake and Ditto, still in Pikachu form, were patiently waiting for Ash's next move.

Ash took another breath. He couldn't lose focus of the match like this. It's true that it was quite a blow that Pikachu was already out, but he still had five wonderful Pokemon who had what it took to win the Orange League. He came here to win, and that was what he was going to do! This wasn't over, not even by a longshot. Who could go up against this Ditto, though?

No matter who it was, Ditto was going to copy them. Since this Ditto was strong, he had to choose something not only strong, but full of vigor, as well. He knew the perfect Pokemon he had with him for that.

"Go, Primeape!" he shouted as he released the pig monkey Pokemon.

"The second Pokemon Ash chooses is Primeape. Let's hope it has the strength and energy to take on Ditto!" said the announcer.

Primeape began hopping back and forth on one foot as it pumped itself up. Ditto, meanwhile, transformed from a Pikachu to a look-a-like of his Primeape. Ash's Primeape grunted and stared back defiantly at its copy. There was no way it was going to lose to something that tried to be it. Ash's Primeape knew it was the strongest one out there. Seeing another Primeape reminded it too much of the bully it had before it met Ash.

"Ditto, use Cross Chop!" Drake hollered.

"Use Karate Chop!" Ash called out instead.

Both Primeape and its double rushed towards the other to do their attacks. The clone Primeape crossed its arms into an X as it prepared the powerful fighting move. Ash's Primeape, however, wound its fist back and prepared to strike. Both Pokemon met with their attacks. Ditto's attack slammed into Primeape face first which caused the pig monkey Pokemon to grunt in pain. It managed to complete its own attack, but it missed its mark somewhat and karate chopped Ditto's arms instead.

Ash furrowed his eyebrows. This was just like the last time. Drake's Ditto was outplaying him just like before. Anything Primeape could learn, that Ditto could do, also. It had every move in Primeape's arsenal. That was when Ash realized something. Just because Ditto could use every move in Ditto's arsenal didn't know it _knew_ every move his Primeape had. Ash could use that to his advantage and decided to try a new move Primeape had picked up at the lab. It being around Pikachu lately had helped it learn this move.

"Use Mega Punch, Primeape!" Ash yelled.

"Use Cross Chop again, Ditto!" Drake hollered.

The two Primeape rushed at each other just like before. It looked like it was going to be a repeat of last time with Drake's Pokemon striking with the more powerful attack first, but at the last moment, Ash switched things up.

"Electrify your fists and turn it into a Thunder Punch!" Ash hollered.

"His Primeape knows Thunder Punch?" Drake questioned to himself.

Primeape took the Cross Chop again, and it cried in pain. However, it slammed its electrified fists into Ditto's arms. The clone Primeape gasped as the static ran throughout its body, and Ash took advantage of that with a follow up.

"Close Combat, Primeape!" Ash yelled.

Ash's Primeape gave a grunt as it loomed over the Ditto. The Ditto looked up, having recovered from its literal shock, and it let out a whimper. The look in Primeape's eyes showed Ditto that it was about to be in for a serious pounding.

Primeape then began to pummel its clone relentlessly. The Ditto tried its best to shield itself from the onslaught, but to no avail. No part of the Ditto was safe. Primeape made sure to thrash on every single body part of the now helpless Ditto. Tic marks even formed on Primeape's face to show how into this it really was. Each blow seemed to be more powerful than the last. Primeape will show this thing who the real one was in this match. Nobody could copy it and get away with the deed!

Primeape finished off with one final swing. Ditto was knocked off its feet and soared through the air and struck a rock where it slumped in defeat. It hitting the rock didn't really matter though, as Ditto was knocked out even before that. Striking the rock was just an added bonus. It morphed back into its original Ditto form and didn't move which signaled it had been knocked out. Primeape then threw its hands into the air and looked towards the sky, happy with its victory.

"Ditto is unable to battle!" the judge yelled.

"Drake's Ditto has been knocked out, folks. Things were looking pretty grim for Ash and Primeape at first, but they turned the tables by using a surprise attack!" the announcer commented.

"Way to go, Primeape!" Ash cheered.

That had really paid off. Since anything Primeape did, Ditto could just throw back at, Ash decided to try something else. The fact that there was no way Drake could know that his Primeape could use Thunder Punch really helped out. Though not the most effective move Primeape had, here it really helped in the surprise factor which gained Primeape the upper hand. Ash couldn't overpower the Ditto, but he could outsmart it.

Drake returned his Ditto and nodded to Ash. "That was pretty good, Ash. I can't tell you how many people lost to only Ditto."

"Really?" Ash questioned in surprise. There were some people who had all six of their Pokemon knocked out by Ditto alone? That was insane!

"Yeah. Great job!" Drake praised before he withdrew another pokeball. "This Pokemon, however, will rock you! Go, Onix!"

The large rock snake Pokemon appeared and crashed onto the ground, which shook slightly.

"An Onix, huh?" Ash muttered before shouted, "Hey Primeape! Do you want to keep going?!"

Primeape grunted and nodded its head to Ash in return. It barely broke a sweat in beating that Ditto senseless. It would make short work of this Onix, too!

"I'll stay with you, then!" Ash smiled. Primeape's will to fight and the fact that fighting types were strong against rock types helped, too.

"Onix! Use Rock Throw!" Drake yelled.

"Onix lifted up one of the many rocks on the field and hurtled it towards Primeape.

"Break that rock with Brick Break! Then go in for a Cross Chop!" Ash hollered.

Primeape's hands glowed as it got a running start and smashed the boulder apart with ease. Its sights then focused on the Onix who merely stood there.

"Use Rock Slide this time, Onix," Drake told it.

Onix then roared and blasted a whole horde of rocks at Primeape. The pig monkey Pokemon narrowed its eyes and made short work of all of the rocks with Brick Break again. It then leaped into the air and slammed its Cross Chop right on the lower middle section of Onix, which caused the rock snake to roar in pain.

"Awesome, Primeape!" Ash smiled.

"Use Rock Slide again," Drake said with narrowed eyes.

"Brick Break again!" Ash countered.

"Now Stone Edge!" Drake yelled.

"What?" Ash questioned before he looked over at Primeape. "Heads up, Primeape!"

The pig monkey Pokemon was too busy shattering the rocks from Rock Slide to notice the massive jagged rock that was heading its way. As soon as Primeape destroyed all of the boulders, its eyes widened when it saw the Stone Edge coming for it. The large, sharp rock slammed into Primeape which sent it flying.

"Use Dragon Breath!" Drake yelled.

Onix unleashed a hot breath from its mouth that soared towards the airborne Primeape and engulfed it. Primeape continued to be burned until it fell to the ground.

"Can you stand, Primeape?" Ash asked worried.

Primeape let out a grunt of aggravation and tried to stand up again, but Drake beat him to it.

"Use Sand Tomb!" he shouted.

Onix gave a roar as Primeape let out a grunt of surprise. It began to struggle as the ground it was on suddenly felt like quicksand. A large swirl of dust surrounded it, and Primeape was now trapped inside.

'Now, use Slam!" Drake ordered.

"Counter it with Cross Chop!" Ash hollered. He couldn't see Primeape, but he knew it could hear him.

Primeape looked up and saw Onix's rock tail coming straight for it. It raised its arms and crossed them together as it prepared for the assault. The huge tail crashed into it, and Primeape met with the Cross Chop. Onix gave another roar as it was struck with the super effective attack, but it continued to press down as Primeape fought back, unable to move because of the Sand Tomb trapping it. Eventually, Onix's superior size won out, and Primeape was knocked to the ground and pinned by Onix's tail.

The Sand Tomb soon dissipated to reveal Onix's tail still on Primeape. The pig monkey Pokemon was underneath it. Everyone waited to see if there would be some type of movement from Primeape but saw nothing. Primeape had been knocked out.

"Primeape is unable to battle!" the judge hollered.

"It seems Primeape's spunky attitude was no match for Onix's solid defenses. That makes two Pokemon down for Ash Ketchum!" the announcer shouted.

Ash took a deep breath again to calm himself. He just lost Pikachu and Primeape. He couldn't lose his cool now. He already had one of Drake's Pokemon down and had this one weakened. He was still doing okay. Wartortle, Bulbasaur, Charizard, and Dragonite could still win this.

"Return, Primeape! Thanks a lot. You took out Ditto and fought hard against Onix," Ash said as he recalled the pig monkey Pokemon and smiled at the pokeball. Ash then took out a Pokemon he knew would have a great advantage against Onix. "Go, Wartortle!"

"Ash Ketchum responds by withdrawing Primeape and revealing his third Pokemon, a Wartortle. Despite the type advantage, we're sure that Drake has something up his sleeve to combat this. We have seen it before, after all!" the announcer commented.

"Yeah. I thought he would do that," Drake said to himself.

Despite this, Wartortle turned around and gave a thumbs up to Ash. It was ready to take on this Onix. Ash gave a thumbs up back before he ordered his Wartortle to attack.

"Alright, Wartortle! Use Hydro Pump!"

Wartortle withdrew into its shell and began spinning through the air. It sprayed several blasts of water through its openings as it headed towards the Onix. Ash raised his eyebrow in confusion when he saw what the Onix was doing. Despite its large size, the Onix was actually dodging the sprays of water quite well. He didn't know Onix were that agile. Well, Wartortle was getting closer so it couldn't dodge forever.

"Dive into the ground, Onix!" Drake yelled.

Onix dove into the ground like a lightning bolt, surprising Ash again. How could an Onix move that fast? Wartortle halted its Hydro Pump and looked around for its opponent. Ash knew what Drake was planning and quickly took action.

"Shoot into the water, Wartortle! Onix can't attack you there!" Ash hollered.

Wartortle aimed its Water Gun at one of the nearby rocks and used the force to propel itself into the pool. There was no way Onix would show up underwater. Now all they had to do was wait for Onix to appear. They weren't disappointed once Drake said his next command.

"Come on out, Onix, right in front of Wartortle," Drake said.

"Why does he want it to do that?" Ash asked himself. He knew Drake wouldn't do this without a reason, but he couldn't think of anything.

Onix burst from the ground a second later and sprayed chunks of rock all over the place. Whatever Drake had planned, Ash had to make sure to beat him to it.

"Use Hydro Pump again, Wartortle!" Ash yelled.

Wartortle shot out of the pool as it spun through the air again. This time, the attack was connecting since Onix was too close to dodge. It roared in pain at the super effective attack as Wartortle continuously got closer in its shell. Ash soon learned that's exactly what Drake wanted.

"Push though that attack, Onix! You know what to do!" Drake told it.

Ash's eyes widened when he saw Onix glare at Wartortle. Despite the water spraying it, Onix took its large tail and gave Wartortle a massive slap. Wartortle shot through the air and its shell smashed through a rock due to the speed at which it was traveling. Ash's brain hardly had time to process this before he took action.

"Withdraw!" Ash ordered quickly to protect Wartortle as much as possible.

Wartortle's shell glowed for a moment as it smashed through another rock. It then skidded across the ground and came to a complete stop. Ash stared worriedly at his Wartortle. Its shell was covered in grime and dust, but the worst part was its shell had a small crack in it, probably from where Onix smacked it.

"Wartortle?" Ash muttered.

Despite this, Wartortle slowly came out of its shell. It tried to stand up before it fell again on one knee. Despite just one attack from Onix, it was an extremely effective one.

"Finish it with Bind!" Drake yelled.

"Wartortle, return!" Ash quickly called and hastily withdrew the turtle Pokemon before the Onix could get a hold of it. He had to let it rest after an attack like that.

Ash took a deep breath to calm himself. So far, this match was not going in his favor. What could he do now? Charizard and Dragonite certainly weren't options against Onix. He wanted to go with someone fresh. Ash didn't like revealing his fourth Pokemon when Drake had only revealed two, but it was something that needed to be done.

"Go, Bulbasaur!" Ash hollered and said a silent prayer that its type advantage would really help.

"Another easy choice for Ash as he chooses Bulbasaur to go up against Drake's Onix. Let's hope he has some sort of strategy to surprise us with," the announcer commented.

"Bulbasaur! Use Razor Leaf!" Ash hollered. There was no way Onix could dodge this.

"Dig underground, Onix!" Drake countered.

Onix dug underground as Bulbasaur halted its attack. Both Ash and Bulbasaur then let out a gasp as Onix shot out of the ground right underneath Bulbasaur a second later. The plant dinosaur was sent soaring through the air as Ash looked on in shock. How had Onix moved that fast!? Bulbasaur didn't even have time to stop its attack properly before Onix had traveled straight to it!

"Onix simply followed the same path it took earlier," Drake explained. "That way, it could quickly get to your Bulbasaur before you could think of a counterattack."

Ash gritted his teeth. Quick was an understatement to how fast Onix made it to Bulbasaur. He then looked up at his Bulbasaur as it began its descent. "Bulbasaur! Use Leech Seed!"

"Oh no, you don't! Use Bind, Onix!" Drake shouted.

Onix reached out with its massive rock tail and astutely grabbed Bulbasaur while it was in midair. Despite this, Bulbasaur still managed to shoot out the single seed which landed right on Onix's head. It quickly spread around Onix's body and began to sap its energy. Despite this, it still held on tight to Bulbasaur which made it a hollow victory.

"Try to use Razor Leaf to get out of there!" Ash yelled to Bulbasaur.

It was to no avail, however. Bulbasaur was too subdued to be able to shoot out any leaves.

"Use Vine Whip!" Ash cried.

That didn't work, either. The place where Bulbasaur extended its vines was covered by Onix's rock body. Seeing no other option, Ash took out his pokeball to return Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, return!" Ash called as he shot out the red beam.

His eyes then widened in horror when he saw Onix block the red beam from reaching Bulbasaur. The beam of energy struck Onix's middle part and dissipated harmlessly with no Bulbasaur to take back. It then grimaced a little from the Leech Seed, but that didn't concern Ash.

"No," Ash muttered to himself as he watched Bulbasaur hopelessly struggle in Onix's clutches. It couldn't do anything. Ash couldn't even return it.

"Things are looking grim for Ash and Bulbasaur. Not only is Bulbasaur immobilized from using any attacks. Ash's attempts to return the Pokemon have failed!" the announcer commented.

Bulbasaur continued gasping in pain as it felt Onix's grip get tighter and tighter. It began coughing and choking as it began to feel a little lightheaded. Ash could do nothing but sit there and watch as Bulbasaur slowly lost consciousness. He then felt tears come to his eyes as he heard Bulbasaur start to make gagging and gurgling noises. One thing was sure, Bulbasaur was surely going to pass out from lack of oxygen before Onix's energy was depleted.

Ash grimaced as he watched Bulbasaur be in so much pain. Despite seeming to be a nice guy, Drake showed absolutely no mercy in battle. Ash was really starting to understand how so many people lost to this guy all the time. Whoever won five years ago must have been the luckiest guy on Earth, or just the best trainer in the world. Ash didn't know and he didn't care right now. Beads of sweat began trickling down his forehead as he began to lose his cool.

Serena saw the state Ash was in right now and felt tears come to her eyes, too. She hated seeing his Pokemon in pain just as much as he did. She then gasped when she saw Ash fall to his knees in despair. It wasn't like him to give up on Bulbasaur. There was no way Serena would let Ash do that. That was not the Ash she knew.

"Serena?" Leaf questioned as she saw Serena stand up from her seat with Togepi. Misty and Tracey also looked in her direction.

"I'm not going to let Ash give up his most important match like this. I'm going to down there to be with him during this," Serena said with determination as she began to push through the horde of people to get to her destination.

Meanwhile, Bulbasaur was foaming at the mouth as it began to lose its last bit of air. The whole time, Ash was panic struck. He didn't have a single thing he could come up with. Drake was miles ahead of him in Pokemon battles, and his Pokemon were being beaten in the worst way. Ash felt like he could do nothing but watch. Bulbasaur's strained gurgles were becoming too much for Ash to bear, though.

"It seems like Ash is losing his confidence in this match as Bulbasaur continues to be immobilized. It's as if he has nothing that he can do," the announcer commented.

Ash was beginning to wonder if he really had what it took to win this match. At this rate, he certainly didn't. His Pokemon were being hurt so brutally, and he couldn't bear to see them like that. Should he forfeit the match right now? If he did, Bulbasaur wouldn't have to pass out from lack of air, and none of his other Pokemon would have to face who knows what. It seemed like a good idea. He just wasn't cut out to win this match. Drake was too good. Ash took one last look at Bulbasaur and knew it was a lost cause. There was nothing he could do for it. Ash shut his eyes and turned away, unable to watch anymore. If he tried hard enough, he could ignore Bulbasaur choking to death and return it to the safety of its pokeball once it was over.

"Ash!"

Ash's eyes snapped open at the voice as he turned to see none other than Serena at the entrance to the trainer's tunnel. She had an angry look on her face as she began to shout at Ash.

"Stop it, Ash! This isn't like you! You can still win this! The situation may seem hopeless, but there is always a way! Never give up until the end!" Serena screamed.

Ash's mouth hung open as Serena recited the mantra to him. It had been quite a long while since either of them had said that to each other. However, it still held true today.

"Don't just abandon Bulbasaur, Ash! It would never abandon you!" Serena shouted again.

"Piiiiiiika,"Pikachu muttered as it cracked its eyes open.

Ash stared in surprise at Pikachu now that it was awake. His best buddy agreed with Serena. Ash then looked at Serena before he looked back at Bulbasaur. The Pokemon's eyes were drooping as it struggles became weaker and weaker. It wouldn't be too long before Onix choked it into unconsciousness. Ash couldn't let that happen. As he watched his Pokemon struggle, he would never let this sort of thing happened to them. What kind of trainer would he be if he allowed that? How could he even think of giving up on Bulbasaur like that?! That was a sure sign of a terrible trainer, and Ash wasn't going to fall into that category.

Furthermore, so what if only one of Drake's Pokemon were knocked out while he had two knocked out and two injured ones? He could still win this! His Pokemon definitely had what it took! They were going to play to their fullest. This match wasn't over until it was over.

"You're right. Thanks, Serena," Ash told her as he turned his hat backwards.

Serena smiled that she was able to reach him. Now he could get his head back in the game and think like a winner. He could still turn this match around.

Ash saw Bulbasaur's state and realized he didn't have much time. He had to act quickly. He knew Bulbasaur could break out of this if it tried hard enough.

"I know you can hear me, Bulbasaur! I know you're trapped, but you can break free! The situation is never hopeless! I believe in you!" Ash shouted.

"Well, that's interesting," Drake said to himself. "He was able to come back to his senses thanks to that girl. That's definitely the sign of some trainer. Most of them would have lost their wits by now."

Bulbasaur's mind barely registered what Ash had told it. It was too tired and couldn't really think. Even so, Bulbasaur still knew the grim situation it was in. It just wasn't strong enough to break free. It remembered a long time ago how it absolutely refused to evolve. The reason was because it wanted to be the best Bulbasaur it could be. Ever since then, it had helped win a plethora of battles for Ash, most notably his victory in his last gym battle. It truly did feel stronger than any Bulbasaur.

Now, however, there were still some things it couldn't do. If it had an extra set of vines instead of the two it had now, it might be able to break free. However, as a Bulbasaur, it couldn't do that. It strongly shared the view with Pikachu about evolution, but sometimes when one reached its limit, the only way to grow was to move forward. That's what Bulbasaur decided to do right here. It was ready. It was also ready to help Ash win this match.

"Saaaaauuuurrr," it choked as it shook violently as it struggled against Onix's grip.

"Come on, Bulbasaur! You can do it!" Ash encouraged.

Upon seeing the fight Bulbasaur was putting up, Onix began to tighten its grip all the more so the plant dinosaur would go ahead and faint. What it didn't expect was Bulbasaur to begin glowing a shining white.

"No way," Ash muttered when he saw what was happening. He knew Bulbasaur had been against evolution until it had reached its strongest. After all of the wins it had, did it believe it had reached the limit it was aiming for?

The bulb on Bulbasaur's back begin growing larger until it split of into four leaves. Bulbasaur itself was growing larger, and Onix's tight grip was forced loosen as Bulbasaur's growing body pushed against it. The glowing finally stopped, and Ivysaur now took the place of Bulbasaur!

"It's an Ivysaur!" Serena smiled from the trainer's tunnel.

"Yeah," Ash muttered as he stared in awe before shook his head to refocus on the battle. They stood a chance now. "Ivysaur! Use Vine Whip!"

Thanks to getting an extra set of vines, Ivysaur was able to shoot out two from a section Onix hadn't protected. The rock snake roared in pain as it was struck continuously. It then loosened its grip enough for Ivysaur to slip through, and the seed Pokemon fell to the ground. It took a moment to catch its breath and coughed a few times before it was ready for battle again.

"Great, now use Razor Leaf!" Ash hollered.

Ivysaur shot out a flurry of larger leaves this time at the stunned Onix. They all pelted at the rock snake continuously as it roared in pain all the more. Finally unable to take it anymore, Onix collapsed onto the ground, knocked out.

"Onix is unable to battle!" the judge called.

"Alright!" Ash cheered as he faced his new Ivysaur! "That was awesome, Ivysaur! I knew you could do it! Congrats on your evolution by the way!"

"Saur!" Ivysaur responded. Now that it had evolved, it could focus now on being the best Ivysaur it could ever be. Should it ever decide to evolve again, it knew it wouldn't be for a long while. It would have to get used to this form first.

Serena smiled from behind Ash. That was her Ash. He almost had forgotten that he could never give up until the end. She made sure to quickly remind him that there was always a way out of some situation. That had regained his confidence for the match. If he continued to play smart and believe, she knew he could get that trophy. Serena turned and began to walk back to where her seat in the stands were, but Ash's voice made her stop.

"Thank you, Serena," Ash told her. "If it wasn't for you, I would've lost my nerve in this match and surely would've lost Bulbasaur. Thank you for believing in me and my Pokemon."

Serena held her hand over her heart as she faced him. "I always will, Ash," she said sincerely before she continued back to her seat.

"What an exciting match this has turned out to be, everyone! It looked bad for Ash and Ivysaur, but things were able to turn completely around with an evolution! That makes two of Drake's Pokemon to be defeated which already shows a lot about Ash Ketchum!" the judge said in excitement.

"That was good, Ash. You didn't give up on your Pokemon, and it rewarded you for your belief in it," Drake smiled. "However, I don't give up on my Pokemon, either! Let's see you handle my next Pokemon! Go, Venusaur!"

The final evolution of Bulbasaur appeared and landed with a large thud on the ground. Ash nodded his head as he had the perfect Pokemon to go against this Venusaur. He then nodded to his Ivysaur and withdrew its pokeball.

"Thanks a lot, Ivysaur. Return for now, and rest up a bit," Ash said as he returned it. He then took out his next pokeball. "Go, Charizard!"

The fire lizard appeared with a roar and landed on the ground to stretch its wings. It then took a look at its opponent to size it up. Yeah. This guy looked pretty tough. Even though Charizard was well aware it had the advantage, it knew to not take Drake's Pokemon lightly. It was going to fight with everything it had.

"Venusaur, use Vine Whip," Drake told it, not seeming to be the least bit intimidated by Charizard.

"Roast those vines with Flamethrower!" Ash countered.

Charizard opened its mouth in preparation for the Flamethrower, but Venusaur shot out its many vines extremely fast. Ash gasped when the vines wrapped around Charizard's snout and clamped its mouth shut before it could even complete the Flamethower! A puff of smoke came out of Charizard's nose as it stopped the Flamethrower before it was burnt from the inside out. Ash wasn't deterred, though.

"Use Slash to snap those vines, Charizard!" Ash shouted.

"Use your remaining vines to restrain Charizard!" Drake yelled.

Charizard readied its sharp claws and prepared to hack away at the vines, but Venusaur grabbed both its arms with each of its vines and pinned them against its stomach. It didn't stop there, however. Venusaur used its remaining two vines to wrap around Charizard's legs and tie them together. Charizard began struggling as it was now completely immobilized.

"Now slam it into the ground!" Drake ordered next.

Venusaur lifted the helpless Charizard and smashed it into the rocky ground. Charizard wanted to roar in pain at the attack, but with its shut mouth all it could do was grimace. Venusaur then lifted it into the air and slammed it down again.

"Drake proves once again that type advantage means nothing to him. His Venusaur has Charizard tied up and unable to do anything at all! How's Ketchum going to respond to this one?" the judge asked rhetorically.

 _"It's okay,"_ Ash thought to himself. _"There's a way out of every situation. Serena reminded me of that. The situation looks bad, but I can still do something."_

Ash watched as his Charizard was repeatedly slammed into the ground. He examined Charizard and smiled when he saw its two most prominent features remained untouched: its wings and flame tail. Venusaur didn't have enough vines to control these, and that really worked in Ash's favor. Drake was probably hoping Ash would see Charizard helpless like with Ivysaur a short time ago, but Ash wasn't falling for it this time.

"Charizard! Fly into the air!" Ash hollered.

Just before Venusaur was able to slam it again, Charizard spread its wings and flew away. Venasaur wasn't about to let it go that easy, however, and yanked back. The two Pokemon then began struggling against each other's strength with Charizard trying to break free and Venusaur trying to restrain Charizard again. Charizard still had one more trick up its sleeve, though.

"Burn those vines with your tail!" Ash hollered.

Charizard swung its mighty tail over to the vines that subdued its arms and immediately set them on fire. Venusaur gasped as the fire traveled down the vines quickly, and it released its hold. Now with its hands free, Charizard slashed at the remaining vines and cut them to pieces. Meanwhile, Venusaur grimaced as the fire reached it from the vines and quickly retracted them to prevent any further damage.

"Now use Flamethrower, Charizard!" Ash smiled triumphantly.

Without the restraint of the vines, Charizard was able to freely open its mouth and unleash te Flamethrower. Being rather slow, Venusaur was unable to get out of the way and was engulfed by the searing flames.

"Use Seismic Toss!" Ash hollered next.

Charizard then swooped down onto the burnt and battered Venusaur. It grunted a little as it used all of its strength to lift the heavy Pokemon. It then flew skyward in preparation to do the attack. Ash smiled at this, but then put on a look of confusion when he saw Drake was smiling, too. He then looked up as Charizard and Venusaur went higher into the air and gasped when he saw Venusaur's flower was absorbing the sunlight. Because they were going so high up, it was absorbing it quite fast, too.

"Watch out, Charizard!" Ash yelled.

"Solarbeam!" Drake commanded.

Charizard began to spin around to build up its momentum in preparation to throw Venusaur. The fire lizard's eyes then widened when it saw Venusaur smirk and point its glowing flower right in its face. It then let loose the super charged beam.

There was a huge explosion in midair as the attack made connection with its target. Ash glanced worriedly upwards as he waited to see what would happen. Even though fire types resisted grass type attacks, Ash knew that attack still had to hurt since it was so powerful and was shot at point blank range.

 _"Please be okay, Charizard,"_ Ash thought silently.

His eyes then lit up in excitement while Drake's eyes lit up in surprise when Charizard flew through the smoke and still carried Venusaur. The fire lizard then grabbed one of Venusaur's legs and strained as it hurled the fully evolved plant dinosaur downwards. Venusaur sailed quickly down and crashed into the rocky ground seconds later, which kicked up a cloud of dust.

The dust quickly dispersed as everyone looked to see if Venusaur was still conscious. It was revealed to be lying on its back and made no motion to show it could still fight. Charizard flew the rest of the way down and shot a Flamethrower into the air at its victory. Ash could tell his Charizard had taken plenty of damage from that Solarbeam since it looked rather bruised, but it still came through and managed to finish the Seismic Toss.

"Venusaur is unable to battle!" the judge declared.

"Wow, everyone! Ash Ketchum has managed to defeat three of Drake's Pokemon, and before Drake defeated three of his. He might actually stand a chance of winning and has definitely earned his match against Drake!" the judge shouted excitedly as the crowd roared in approval.

Drake then returned Venusaur to its pokeball and thanked it for a job well done. He then nodded up to the announcer's box. The rocky field then began to sink into the ground. Charizard flew out of the way and landed beside Ash, and the two high fived each other.

"With the defeat of three Pokemon on one trainer's side, we will now be doing a time out for the field change," the announcer narrated.

Ash took this moment to sit on the ground and take a deep breath. Charizard sat down beside him and took a breather, also. Pikachu hobbled over to Ash and got into Ash's lap. Ash smiled down at his rodent partner and scratched it behind the ears as Pikachu cooed in contentment.

"I'm really proud of all of you guys so far," Ash told them, addressing the Pokemon in his pokeballs, too. "You've all worked your hardest, and if we keep it up, we can win."

"Chuuuuu," Pikachu muttered as it looked down sadly, ashamed that it had let Ash down so early in the match.

"Hey, buddy. It's okay. That Ditto was super strong. I can tell you fought really hard and took so much abuse from that Ditto. I'm not upset with you," Ash reassured.

"Piiiii," Pikachu sighed but nodded its head.

"Hey. Ash is actually holding on quite well. He doesn't look nervous or upset anymore," Misty noticed as she saw Ash seem quite relaxed right now.

"What did you say to him, Serena?" Leaf questioned as she looked at the honey blond-haired girl who had returned by now.

"I reminded him that he isn't alone in any match. I'm here for him, and so are all of you. I also told him to never give up until the end and that there is a way out of every situation," Serena answered.

"Ash is really lucky to have you, Serena. I'm almost a little jealous," Tracey grinned.

Serena giggled at Tracey's comment and faced forward again. She and Togepi then leaned forward as they were fully enthralled in the match.

The new battlefield began to rise up by now. Ash looked on curiously to see what it was and frowned slightly. It appeared to be a sand field. This would make movement incredibly difficult for some of his Pokemon. No doubt Drake had figured out a few ways around this. Ash, on the other hand, would have to think up some new strategies. Luckily, Charizard could fly and avoid the sand.

"Are you still up to battle, Charizard?" Ash asked it.

Charizard gave a roar in response and stood up before it shot a Flamethrower in the air. Ash took that as a yes. The few minutes Charizard had to rest seemed to be all it needed to revitalize itself against its match with Venusaur. It then flew back onto the battlefield and landed in the sand as it waited for who its opponent would be.

"Go, Gengar!" Drake hollered as he threw the ball forward to release the fully evolved form of Gastly.

"And Drake's next choice is a Gengar. Being the strong and sneaky Pokemon it is, will it be able to slip in a victory against Charizard?" the judge commented.

"Gengar, use Shadow Ball!" Drake ordered.

"Counter it with Flamethrower!" Ash called.

Both Pokemon launched their respective attacks. As expected, when they both met midway, there was an explosion. Charizard braced itself for an attack Gengar might follow up with, but found there was none. When the smoke cleared, Gengar had completely disappeared.

Ash's eyes lit up in remembrance of this. He had a Haunter and had used this sort of strategy before, too. The only thing Gengar was doing with Shadow Ball was providing a distraction so it could slip into the shadows. Ash couldn't see it, but he had no doubt Gengar was hiding in the ground right now.

"Quick, Charizard! Fly into air! Gengar's in the sand!" Ash warned.

Charizard immediately flapped its wings to take to the air, but Gengar's hands reached out from Charizard's shadow and grabbed it by the legs to keep it from getting away. Charizard looked down in alarm as Gengar's eerily grinning face peaked out of the shadows next.

"Flamethrower, Charizard!" Ash yelled.

"Thunderbolt," Drake commanded.

"Thunderbolt?" Ash echoed in confusion. He didn't know a Gengar could learn that move. They really were more diverse than he thought.

While still holding on to Charizard, Gengar immediately electrified its body which traveled into Charizard, shocking the fire lizard before it could blow its fiery breath. Gengar than pulled itself out of the rest of the shadows and climbed onto a panting Charizard's back. Charizard turned around to glare at the still smirking Gengar.

"Use your tail like last time!" Ash called.

Making great use of its fiery tail again, Charizard gave Gengar a hard slap with its tail, surprising the ghost Pokemon. Gengar was knocked off Charizard's back and onto ground.

"Ember, Charizard!" Ash yelled. He knew he would have to stick to fast moves in order to hit Gengar even though it wasn't the strongest move in Charizard's arsenal.

Charizard shot out several tiny embers like bullets which struck the recovering Gengar. The ghost Pokemon thrashed around on the ground and cried out as the fiery embers struck its body continuously. Now Ash had a chance to do some serious damage.

"Use Flamethrower!" Ash yelled.

The tiny embers coming from Charizard's mouth soon became a stream of fire. Gengar was taken over by the flames, and Ash and Drake could hear it yelling in pain from within. When Charizard's attack ended, both Charizard and Ash gasped when they saw Gengar was nowhere to be seen again. It must have sunk back into the shadows while Charizard was using Flamethrower.

"Fly away, Charizard!" Ash yelled.

"Use Shadow Punch," Drake ordered.

A shadowy hand appeared out of the ground again. Instead of grabbing Charizard like last time, it continued to slide upwards until it punched Charizard in the face. Despite this, Charizard quickly shook its head and still took to the sky anyway. At least it would be safe for a while. There would be no way Gengar would be able to attack Charizard while it was in the air. It would be forced to reveal itself which would give Charizard a good opening to attack.

Charizard simply hovered high into the air as it waited for Gengar to show itself. After about thirty seconds, nothing still happened. Ash raised his eyebrow in confusion at this as he turned to look at his opponent. Drake had a seemingly neutral expression on his face at the moment. Was he trying to think of a new strategy before he had Gengar come back up from the ground? Surely not. Drake was the Orange League champion and wouldn't need to think this long for a strategy. He was up to something, but what? Ash saw no way his Gengar could attack Charizard right now, or at least effectively. One thing was sure, the two battling Pokemon couldn't stay this way forever. Something would have to give.

"Ash and Charizard both seem to be waiting for Gengar, but it doesn't look like Gengar has the guts to come out of the ground right now! What could Drake be planning?" the announcer asked rhetorically.

Charizard tried to scan the ground as it searched for the Gengar, but could see no sign of where it could be. There were no obstacles here. There was no strange shadow on the sand or anything. Was Gengar really that good at hiding? Even so, what was the purpose of hiding now anyway? Charizard was beginning to get a little frustrated until it and Ash heard Drake's voice.

"Alright, Gengar! Show yourself!" Drake finally yelled.

Both Ash and Charizard immediately began to search the sand for anywhere Gengar might appear. Charizard had a great view of the battle field from this height so there was nowhere Gengar could pop up that would surprise Charizard. Wait. That was weird. Charizard suddenly felt a weight from its back. Its eyes widened in horror when it turned and saw Gengar materialize right onto Charizard's back! How did it do that?!

"I had Gengar turn invisible this time rather than hide into the ground," Drake explained upon seeing Ash's confused look. "It then climbed onto your Charizard again undetected. I then had it use Shadow Punch to make you think Gengar was still in the ground when the reality was it was on your Charizard the whole time."

"Heads up, Charizard!" Ash hollered upon hearing that.

"Thunderbolt!" Drake yelled.

Before Charizard could do anything, Gengar gave it a powerful electric shock just like before. Charizard roared in pain as Gengar continued to shock it. Charizard then let out a puff of smoke as it began to fall towards the ground. It was having a hard time staying in the air after that.

"Use Flamethower!" Ash hollered, knowing Gengar didn't have a place to hide this time.

"Shadow Ball!" Drake countered.

Charizard unleashed the Flamethrower just as Gengar formed a black orb in its hands and threw it at Charizard's face at point blank range. The simultaneous use of attacks caused and explosion to happen once more, and both Pokemon were thrown out of the air in different directions. Charizard and Gengar hit the sand seconds later. Gengar stood back up after a few pants before it smirked once again. Charizard was struggling to stand back up, but it had taken that Shadow Ball right to the face. Not to mention Venusaur had done some good damage on it, too.

"Come on, Charizard," Ash encouraged.

It was to no avail, however. Charizard stumbled and fell to the ground on its back. It gave a puff of smoke before it fell into unconsciousness.

"Charizard is unable to battle!" the judge declared.

"And Drake's powerful Gengar has put the spook on Charizard! Both trainers now only have three Pokemon remaining! We haven't had a match this close in quite a while folks!" the announcer said.

Ash sighed as he returned his Charizard. It was one of the strongest Pokemon on his team right now. In the end, it was only able to take out Drake's Venusaur. The only completely healthy Pokemon he had on his team right now was Dragonite, but he wasn't quite sure if he should send it out right now. Drake still had two Pokemon that had taken no damage, including his own Dragonite. If Ash was to win this, he would need to keep Dragonite in peak form for as long as possible. It was the only one who might have enough power to take on Drake's Dragonite.

"Let's go again, Wartortle!" Ash cried as he released the turtle Pokemon again.

Wartortle appeared from the pokeball and stumbled slightly when it got to its feet. Ash frowned as he knew this was a clear sign that Wartortle was still beat up from its match against Onix. However, it wasn't like Ivysaur was in much better shape. Not to mention its grass-type moves were less effective against Gengar because of Gengar's secondary poison-typing.

"Ash once again chooses his Wartortle who we remember had taken quite beating from Onix! Let's hope Ash can pull together a strategy to take out Gengar!" the announcer commented.

"Use Thunderbolt, Gengar!" Drake called out.

"Quick, Wartortle! Use Withdraw and turn it into a Hydro Pump!" Ash hollered. He knew Thunderbolt was coming.

Wartortle quickly hid into its shell as the Thunderbolt electrocuted its shell. It then began to use Hydro Pump as its shell began to spin extremely fast. Sand was kicked up which hid it from view, and several pumps of water were shooting out of the sand tornado and struck the opposing Gengar.

"Use Shadow Punch," Drake told it without missing a beat.

Gengar stuffed its arms into the ground despite the fire hose force of the Hydro Pump. The hands came up inside the dust devil, and they knocked Wartortle at good distance out of it. Wartortle was still in its shell so it took minimal damage, and its shell landed on the sand a short distance away. Ash's eyes then widened when he saw Gengar sink into the sand again.

"Be careful, Wartortle!" Ash warned. He knew that Wartortle couldn't fly away like Charizard.

Gengar came up from the sand right in front of Wartortle and smirked at it. Ash figured as long as Wartortle attacked from inside of its shell, it would be fine. Drake, however, was about to prove him wrong.

"Your Wartortle isn't safe in its shell, Ash," Drake told him. "Gengar, get in Wartortle's shell and use Thunderbolt!"

Ash gasped when he saw Gengar slide its hands into one of Wartortle's openings and let loose the lightning attack. Gengar's shadowy nature must be able to allow it to do something like that. If he didn't think of something fast, Wartortle would surely be knocked out. He spouted off something before he even realized what he was saying. It just came to him.

"If you can hear me, use Ice Beam!" Ash hollered. He didn't know why he said it. He just thought something good might happen if it did.

Gengar continued to smirk as it shocked Wartortle until it suddenly stopped the attack. It then lost its smirk and instead got a puzzled expression on its face. Drake rose his eyebrow at this and was about to ask Gengar what was wrong, but he didn't have to. Shards of ice began to come out of Wartortle's shell, and spread around Gengar's arms. They continued to spread until both of Gengar's arms were completely frozen!

"Alright! That was awesome, Wartortle!" Ash cheered. He knew that almost all of Gengar's attacks required its arms to move. Now that they were completely frozen and immobile inside of Wartortle's shell, it couldn't do anything!

"Try to shake Wartortle off of you!" Drake yelled.

Gengar began to thrash around as it tried to pry Wartortle loose. It was slamming Wartortle in the sand, against the stadium wall, and even tried sinking into the ground. Nothing was working. Its arms were frozen firmly in place inside of Wartortle's shell. Even through all of this, Wartortle was still taking minimum damage and holding tough because of its Withdraw. Ash had to take advantage of this situation before Drake thought of something.

"Use Ice Beam again, Wartortle!" Ash yelled again.

Wartortle poked its head out one of the openings right in front of Gengar's face. Gengar looked down at Wartortle, and the turtle Pokemon was the one smirking at it for a change. Wartortle then blasted a beam of ice at point blank range to the Gengar. The ghost Pokemon cried out in pain as Wartortle continued to launch the beam. Because of the proximity, the Ice Beam was beginning to take its toll on Gengar. The ice began to spread around its body quickly until the ghost Pokemon was completely encased in ice. Its whole body was frozen solid now!

"Gengar!" Drake called in worry.

"Now break free of Gengar with Skull Bash!" Ash yelled, now knowing he had the match.

A flash of light came from Wartortle's head before it slammed down on Gengar's frozen arms with all its might. The frozen Gengar broke free and went sailing backwards and landed into the sand.

"Finish with Rapid Spin!" Ash called.

Wartortle began spinning fast once again as it began to fly through the air towards the helpless Gengar. Drake could do nothing but watch as Wartortle's shell smashed into the block of ice that was now Gengar. The ghost Pokemon sailed backwards once again and hit one of the walls of the stadium. The fortunate thing was the ice around Gengar exploded upon the impact, but Gengar fell to the ground, completely immobile. Wartortle finally hopped out its shell and smiled.

"Gengar is unable to battle!" the judge declared.

"What a cool turn of events, everyone!" the judge punned. "Gengar's sneaky tricks couldn't stand up to Wartortle! That was smart thinking on Ash Ketchum's part to freeze Gengar's arms like that!"

Ash smiled to himself. He had to keep this up. Drake only had two Pokemon left while he had Wartortle, Ivysaur, and Dragonite left. He now officially had more Pokemon than Drake. He might stand a chance, after all. He was over half way.

"Pika," Pikachu cheered weakly at Wartortle from beside Ash as it pumped its fist in the air. It then let out a whimper of pain.

"Don't push yourself, buddy. I need you to rest," Ash told it gently.

"Drake now only has two Pokemon left. I wonder who it could be this time," the announcer commented.

"Go, Electabuzz!" Drake yelled as he threw the ball forward to reveal the electric Pokemon.

The Electabuzz appeared and let loose a few sparks from its head to show it was pumped for the battle. Ash gritted his teeth as he knew Wartortle was in for a really rough time. Even if he were to recall it right now, it still had a pitiful matchup against Dragonite. An electric type Pokemon was the worst thing that could come out right now.

"Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt!" Drake ordered.

"Withdraw, Wartortle!" Ash yelled.

Wartortle hid in its shell once more as Electabuzz unleashed the electric attack. Wartortle's shell was engulfed in the electricity as Electabuzz ran forward while doing the attack to deal more damage. Once it reached Wartortle, Drake gave another command.

"Use Thunderpunch!" he said.

Use Ice Beam on Electabuzz's fist!" Ash hollered.

Electabuzz began to charge up its right arm, but Wartortle quickly stuck its head out and used Ice Beam. Electabuzz got a baffled look on its face as its Thunderpunch quickly drained due to the Ice Beam before its right arm was frozen solid. It blinked once before it smirked and used its free arm to charge up a Thunderpunch and give a mighty blow to Wartortle. The turtle Pokemon cried out in pain as it flew across the battlefield until it landed in the sand a short distance away from Ash, knocked out. Electabuzz then used its free arm to charge another Thunderpunch and break the ice that encased its other arm.

"Wartortle is unable to battle!" the judge declared.

"Despite having incredible endurance against Onix and Gengar, Wartortle was too tired to take on Electabuzz's super effective attacks it seems," the judge countered.

"Wartortle, return! You did awesome. Take a well deserved rest," Ash told it as he recalled the turtle Pokemon. He then took out Ivysaur's pokeball. "Let's do it, Ivysaur!"

The newly evolved Ivysaur then appeared from the pokeball and stamped the ground to show it was ready to fight again. This actually worked out in Ash's favor as electric attacks weren't very effective against grass-types. However, Drake had proven time and time again that type advantage hardly meant anything to him.

"Ash goes the route of wanting to keep his last Pokemon as healthy for as long as possible by choosing Ivysaur again," the announcer said.

"Use Leech Seed, Ivysaur!" Ash called.

"Knock that Leech Seed away with Thunderpunch," Drake said cooly.

Ivysaur tilted its blooming flower and shot out a small brown seed from it. Electabuzz narrowed its eyes and immediately knocked it away with an electrified fist. So that strategy was no good it seems.

"Use Vine Whip!" Ash tried.

Ivysaur shot out its four vines which wrapped around Electabuzz's arms. Ash was about to order Ivysaur to throw it, but Drake had other plans.

"Perfect. Now pull Ivysaur towards you," Drake told it.

Before Ivysaur could lift Electabuzz, the electric Pokemon gave grabbed Ivysaur's vines and gave a hard tug. Ivysaur gave a cry of surprise as it was pulled from its standing position towards a waiting Electabuzz.

"Use Thunderpunch," Drake ordered.

"Razor Leaf!" Ash countered.

Ivysaur blasted out the flurry of sharp leaves as Electabuzz instinctively shielded itself. Ivysaur then used the situation it was in to its advantage by turning its momentum into a Tackle. It rammed hard into the Electabuzz's stomach which caused it to gasp in pain. Electabuzz proved it was tough, however, as its still charged up Thunderpunch and sent a powerful jab at Ivysaur. The evolved plant dinosaur cried out in pain as it released its hold on Electabuzz and fell in the sand.

"Psychic!" Drake yelled next.

Ash gasped as Electabuzz blasted out the psychic waves which struck Ivysaur and it was pushed further back in the sand. He remembered that Serena had once faced an Electabuzz who knew Psychic as a surprise attack. Because of Ivsaur's secondary poison-typing, that was an super effective hit.

Ivysaur shakily stood to its feet before it growled at the Electabuzz to show it could still fight. It had just evolved and wasn't about to go down that easily. It still had a lot more room to grow.

Ash knew he couldn't keep chipping away damage at Electabuzz like this otherwise Ivysaur would wear out. He needed a powerful attack.

"Use Vine Whip to jump!" Ash yelled.

Ivysaur let out its vines and slapped the ground with them to give it a boost. It then shot straight up in the air as Drake and Electabuzz looked on in awe.

"Now absorb the sunlight for Solarbeam!" Ash yelled.

Ivysaur pointed its blooming flower right at where the sun was shining to absorb it quickly. Ash was hoping that it being in the air would buy it enough time.

"Use Psychic again!" Drake hollered.

There was a slight delay as Electabuzz had to take careful aim due to Ivysaur being in the air and falling towards the ground. It then launched the psychic waves again which struck Ivysaur. The plant dinosaur cried out in pain as it was struck again. Nevertheless, it endured the hit so it could finish charging Solarbeam. It then landed on the ground as its budding flower glowed. It was time.

"Let it fly, Ivysaur, and charge!" Ash hollered.

"Counter it with Thunderbolt!" Drake ordered.

Electabuzz prepared to counter the Solarbeam, but it was caught off guard as Ivysaur charged straight for it. The electric Pokemon stumbled from the bold move, but it still launched the Thunderbolt. Ivysaur let loose the powerful beam, but its eyes widened when Electabuzz ran at full speed to it, as well. Electabuzz made sure that if it was going to get hit by this attack, Ivysaur would take some it, too.

Both attacks met their mark as the Pokemon closed in their distance to each other. A large explosion took place as the Pokemons' direction changed a full one hundred eighty degrees. Both Pokemon were blasted off of their feet as they went diverse directions. They each landed in the sand with a thud. The sand slightly absorbed their impact, but not by much.

Both Ash and Drake checked on their Pokemon's condition to see if either would rise. Unfortunately, it was clear that they were both too worn out to go on. Each Pokemon was lying in the sand and made no effort to get up. It was a tie.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle!" the judge yelled.

"Unbelievable, folks! It's a double knockout! This has really turned into a fantastic match. I hope you all are enjoying this to its fullest!" the announcer yelled in excitement.

Ash stood in silence for a moment. He didn't think he would be starting the final match off like this. Ivysaur had taken out Electabuzz, but it was knocked out, too, in the process. Both he and Drake only had one Pokemon left, and oddly enough, it was of the same species. Drake seemed to realize this, too, as he raised his eyebrow in amusement. He remembered Ash telling him that he had a newly evolved Dragonite.

"Ivysaur, return," Ash said as he recalled it before he smiled at the pokeball. "You did great, Ivysaur. You evolved and beat Onix and knocked out Electabuzz. I'm proud of you. Now take a good rest."

"Ash Ketchum has done the incredible job of taking out five of Drake's Pokemon. He is the first challenger in five years to have come this close to victory. He's just one victory away against winning this match and going down in history, but we all know Drake saved his best Pokemon for last," the announcer narrated.

"It's the Dragonite," Tracey muttered.

"Right. It's Ash's Dragonite, too," Misty added.

"The battle of the Dragonite," Leaf finished.

Serena stared in awe at how Ash was doing. He was so close to winning. He couldn't lose now. Her eyes were fully focused on the match now that both he and Drake only had one Pokemon left.

"Pika pi?" Pikachu asked Ash.

"I know, buddy. My only Pokemon left is Dragonite. I know it's really strong. I just don't know if it can match the experience of Drake's Dragonite," Ash replied.

It was true. His Dragonite was one of the few Pokemon who had the power to stand up to Drake's Dragonite. However, it was still one on one, and while he kept his goal of keeping Dragonite at full health until the very end, Drake had done the exact same thing. He was hoping he would have a couple of Pokemon left to weaken Dragonite first, but it didn't turn out that way. Ash believed he was actually lucky to get this far considering how the start of the match was going. Ash knew that if he was going to win this one with his Dragonite, he couldn't make a single mistake, or it would be disastrous.

"I have to say, Ash, I'm really looking forward to our Dragonite battling each other. I've never actually battled against one in my life so it's a new experience for me, too," Drake revealed.

Ash nodded his head in response and took another deep breath. He had to remain calm no matter what. This was his last matchup against Drake for sure. He and Dragonite had to win this one. He thumbed his Dragonite's pokeball for a moment before he brought it into view.

"I'm counting on you, Dragonite. I know you can do it," Ash whispered to the pokeball.

"Are you ready for our showdown, Ash?" Drake asked as he unhooked his Dragonite's pokeball from his necklace.

"Yeah. I am," Ash replied seriously.

"Go, Dragonite!" they both yelled.

* * *

 **The last of Ash's Pokemon that can evolve have now evolved at least once, save for Pikachu (Haunter is already evolved). I hope you all have enjoyed this match so far as I put a lot of hard work into making it as exciting as possible. Hopefully, it showed. The match up we all knew would happen is next so I hope I have made it live up to the hype.**

 **There's only one chapter left before the Orange Islands arc ends! It will be up later this week...maybe Saturday? At the latest on Sunday. Thanks for all of the support guys and giving me your thoughts on Chikorita with Ash or Serena. I'll think long and hard about it this week and reveal my choice when the final chapter is posted. See you all then!**

 **Chapter 23: The Road to be an Orange League Master**

 **Answering the Questions:**

 _Will Ash and Serena ever take a break from each other but still be friends?_

 ** _No. This is solely an amourshipping story. Any ships with Ash or Serena that aren't this would be in a separate story._**

 _What made you choose to have Harrison and not any other native of Johto battle Ash?  
_

 ** _Because they will have their own appearances in the Johto arc._**

 _Will they still encounter Lapras's herd in Johto?_

 ** _Probably not._**

 _Given how much we have seen in the anime regarding that "switch" Dragonite are known to have, will Ash's Dragonite ever have that happen? Like will it end up losing control during Outrage or something like that?_

 ** _It's an interesting idea_** _t_ _o_ ** _have the timid Dragonite go on a rampage like that. I'm not sure yet, but it's a good concept._**

 _Will you include Magearna perhaps in the final arc of your story?_

 _ **I guess? I don't know it's roll in anything yet, though.**_

 _Will there be other enraged legendary Pokemon?  
_

 ** _I don't know. Maybe. Deoxys was enraged somewhat in Destiny Deoxys, but the plot for that in my story is completely different so I don't know._**


	23. The Road to be an Orange League Master

**A/N: ...Ash gets Chikorita. :)**

 **Moving on to the final chapter! Please enjoy it! Big author's note at the bottom regarding the future of this series. Please read it when you are done.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 23: The Road to be an Orange League Master

Both trainers tossed their pokeballs into the air to release the two Dragonite. The beams shot out of their pokeballs, and the two Pokemon were revealed. The crowd couldn't help but erupt into a fit of cheering at this. A chance to see two Dragonite battle was rather rare indeed. This would definitely have to be a good one.

Despite the two Pokemon being the same species, their expressions were different. Drake's Dragonite looked strong and confident while Ash's Dragonite looked calmer and more composed. It had no doubt its opponent had more experience, but it would trust Ash's judgement to help it win this battle. It would fight its hardest no matter what.

"What an awesome showdown this is going to turn out to be, folks! It think this may be the first Dragonite versus Dragonite battle we've had in this stadium! I hope you all are excited for this as I am!" the announcer called.

 _"Okay. This is for the championship. Drake's Dragonite is the only thing standing between me and winning the Orange League. I can't lose now after coming this close. My other Pokemon have worked so hard to get me this far, and I know Dragonite won't let me down, either,"_ Ash thought.

 _"I normally never even have to use Dragonite because few trainers ever get this far. The fact that Ash did must mean he's an excellent trainer. I'll have to be serious in this match against another Dragonite,"_ Drake thought.

 _"Here we go,"_ Ash thought before he called out, "Use Slam, Dragonite!"

"Use your own Slam, Dragonite!" Drake countered, as he was thinking along the same lines as Ash.

It turned out that this first move was just a power test between the two. By using Slam against the opposing Pokemon, it would be easier to tell who had the strength advantage. Once that was figured out, the trainers could adapt accordingly.

Both Dragonite took flight and charged at one another. A few seconds later, they rammed the other as hard as they could. A noise that sounded more like a sonic boom than anything erupted when the two Dragonite struck the other. This only got the crowd cheering even harder.

"What power, folks!" the announcer cried out.

Despite the judge's words, it proved that Drake's Dragonite proved a little stronger. Once the Pokemon hit each other, Ash's Pokemon was knocked back a lot further than Drake's was. At least it could withstand the impact, but Ash now knew he would have to use his noggin and strategy to win this one. Drake could win on power alone, but he couldn't. It was what he expected, though, considering his Dragonite just evolved not too long ago while who knows how long Drake's had been a Dragonite.

"Use Dragon Rush!" Drake hollered, deciding to take advantage of his Dragonite's higher strength.

Ash's eyes widened when Drake's Dragonite shot forward and menacingly tackled his Dragonite which knocked it out of the sky. The two Pokemon hit the sand and rolled over each other for a moment before they stopped with Drake's Dragonite on top.

"Use Hyper Beam!" Drake shouted, intending to end this fast.

Ash, however, wasn't about to let his Dragonite just roll over and faint that easily. He hated to reveal this move so early, but he had to.

"Use Extreme Speed, and get out of there!" Ash hollered.

Drake's Dragonite had just began to charge up its Hyper Beam when there was a strong jerk from its arms. Ash's Dragonite attempted the move again and successfully tore itself out of the opposing Dragonite's grasp. Drake's Dragonite halted the Hyper Beam as it looked around to see where the other went to. Ash's Dragonite appeared behind it a second later.

"Turn around and use Dragon Breath," Drake told his.

"Use Hurricane, Dragonite!" Ash countered.

Drake's Dragonite turned quickly to its opponent and shot out the attack. Ash's Dragonite, however, had already begun flapping its wings as hard as it could. A mighty wind began to come from its wings at that. The Dragon Breath was coming towards it, but it began to slow its descent due to the force of the Hurricane. Drake's Dragonite began to shield itself as it struggled to stay put while the powerful wind attempted to blow it away.

Due to the force of the wind, the Dragon Breath actually reversed its direction and struck Drake's Dragonite. The opposing Pokemon let out startled gasp that its own attack hit it. That brief loss of focus was all that was needed to send Drake's Dragonite off its feet and into the air. It blasted through the air until it crashed into a stadium wall which sent up a cloud of dust.

"Nice job, Dragonite!" Ash praised, but it was short-lived as the dust cleared, and Drake's Dragonite was nowhere to be seen where it hit the wall.

"Use Twister!" Drake yelled.

"Hurry and get out of the way!" Ash called, though he had no idea where Drake's Dragonite was.

A small tornado whipped up right underneath Ash's Dragonite. It hurriedly backed away from the rising Twister. Ash thought the danger was mostly over, but he was soon proved wrong as Drake's Dragonite appeared from seemingly nowhere and put Ash's Dragonite in a headlock. Dragonite struggled as hard as it could against its opponent's strong grip, but it was futile.

"Use Extreme Speed to get out again!" Ash hollered.

"Not so fast! Use your Extreme Speed, too!" Drake countered.

Ash's Dragonite tried to pull itself out of its opponent's grip again like before, but this time Drake's Dragonite used Extreme Speed in the opposite direction which caused the two to be at a stalemate, and none of them moved from it. Ash frowned at this. His Dragonite's Extreme Speed had been its ace in the hole several times, but the fact that he had to use it early and that Drake's Dragonite knew it, too, put it at an even further disadvantage.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Drake yelled.

The antennas on the rival Dragonite lit up with electricity, and it began to shock Ash's Dragonite with several volts. Dragonite cried out in pain from the attack as it was mercilessly electrocuted. The attack then halted while Ash's Dragonite gasped in pain. The opposing Dragonite didn't stop there, however. Now that its opponent was putting up less of a struggled, it gave a mighty swing of its tail and knocked Ash's Dragonite into the still raging Twister.

"Dragonite!" Ash called in worry.

The Twister continued to ruthlessly spin inside the large stadium. Ash could only watch in worry as his Dragonite was surely being tormented inside of that thing. Drake and his Dragonite simply stood with their arms crossed confidently as they waited for the attack to cease. It soon proved they didn't have to as both them and the audience gasped when Ash's Dragonite suddenly flew out from the top of the Twister looking pretty battered but okay.

"What?!" Drake cried.

"Great job! Use Dragon Rage!" Ash hollered.

Dragonite took a deep breath and launched several powerful blue flames at its opponent. Drake's Dragonite took the attack full force and yelled in pain from the attack before Ash called his next move.

"Use Hurricane!" he yelled.

Dragonite flapped its wings and sent a strong gust at its opponent again from above. Drake's Dragonite was propelled backwards from the force and crashed into the sand below it which sent up and wall of sand. Ash didn't want to give his opponent a chance to get away and hide this time unless he wanted to risk a repeat of what just happened.

"Use Extreme Speed!" he yelled.

Dragonite disappeared in a flash as it seemed to teleport. Ash waited to hear the sound of a thud, but it never came. He stared inquisitively at the cloud of sand while Drake smirked. Ash gasped when the dust cloud vanished, and Drake's Dragonite had Ash's Dragonite in another headlock. How on Earth had it managed to stop his Dragonite's Extreme Speed?! That thing really was strong!

"And Drake's Dragonite stops Ash's cold. Those moves it can use are really something!" the announcer commented.

"Use Hyper Beam!" Drake called out again.

"Try to get away!" Ash hollered. He knew Extreme Speed would be useless now.

Drake's Dragonite began to charge up the Hyper Beam once more, but Ash's Dragonite reached up with its arms and tried to steer the opposing Dragonite's face away from it. Drake's Dragonite fought back as it kept its head to steady so it could take aim. Ash gritted his teeth as he knew that if this Hyper Beam struck, it could be lethal. His Dragonite managed to push its opponent's head to the side at the last second, however. The Hyper Beam instead hit the sand a few yards from where they were standing, and a wall of sand erupted from the ground, which knocked the two Dragonite off of their feet.

Both Dragonite spun through the air, and there was a resounding thud as they hit the sand a few seconds later. They then had to shield themselves as a mountain of sand began to rain down on top of them. Though normally not a problem, this sand stung quite a bit from the amount and speed at which it was falling. Both Ash and Drake had to shield their eyes a little, too, as some of the sand had made it over to them.

"Fly out of there!" both trainers called, though they couldn't see their Pokemon.

Their command was apparently heard, however, as both Dragonite soon appeared as they flew out of the cloud of sand below them. Both Dragonite glared at each other before they began to trade serious blows back and forth. Ash knew this wasn't the way to go, though, as Drake's Dragonite was stronger.

"Use Dragon Rage!" Ash yelled.

The two Pokemon had just traded another blow when Dragonite shot out another series of large blue flames. Drake's Dragonite was struck several times before Ash's Dragonite rammed into it. The two were sent hurtling towards the ground, and Ash's Dragonite was on top of Drake's for a change, but Drake's Dragonite clawed it in the face which caused it to roll off, and the two Dragonite stood up and glared at each other once more.

Ash snapped is fingers as he thought of what to do next. It was clear Drake's Dragonite was stronger and more experienced, but he was still holding out. He could still when this, but he had to think of a way that could give him an edge.

Unbeknownst to Ash, Drake's Dragonite had a surprise move, too. If Drake were to use this move now, it would seriously cripple Ash's Dragonite. He knew both Pokemon had taken heavy damage, and this move would definitely put him at the advantage he would need to win. There wouldn't be much of an escape for Ash's Dragonite. It was the most powerful dragon-type move of all.

"Use Draco Metoer!" Drake shouted.

"What's that?" Ash wondered to himself.

Drake's Dragonite looked up at the sky and gave a roar before it shot a glowing orb into air. It rose higher and higher until it exploded. Ash and Dragonite's eyes both widened as what seemed like comets came streaming down from the orb, and they were heading straight towards Dragonite.

"Watch out, Dragonite!" Ash cried.

Ash's Dragonite took flight as it tried to dodge the many comets. They were numerous, however, and extremely fast. Dragonite was simply too large to dodge them all. It was struck by one which caused it to cry in pain, and then it was struck by another, and another, and another. There was soon an explosion, and Drake didn't give his opponent a chance to recover.

"Use Dragon Rush!" he yelled.

Before it could even see the damage it did, Drake's Dragonite rushed headfirst into the debris cloud and astutely tackled Ash's Dragonite. Both of them crashed to the ground, and Ash's Dragonite was successfully pinned beneath its opponent. Ash glanced worriedly at his Dragonite as it looked extremely weak, and it wasn't even putting up a fight against its opponent. It had taken some serious damage from that Draco Meteor. It was panting heavily as the opposing Dragonite was on top of it.

"Dragonite!" Ash cried.

"This isn't good. If Ash doesn't think of something fast, he's in serious trouble," Tracey commented.

"He can't lose yet! Come on, Ash!" Leaf yelled.

"That Draco Meteor was a really powerful attack. Drake was smart to use it late like this, but it's still really bad news for his Dragonite," Tracey said.

"Ash just has to believe in Dragonite," Serena mumbled.

Ash gritted his teeth as the situation did look quite grim. He couldn't get nervous yet. It's true that this was extremely bad. If Dragonite went down, which Ash was sure it could soon since it was running out of energy, he would lose. He couldn't let that happen. He had come too far for this, and his own motto rang in his head about never giving up until the end. He just had to remain calm and think of something. Unfortunately, Drake was looking to end this and didn't give Ash that luxury.

"Use Hyper Beam, and let's finish this!" Drake yelled.

Ash snapped out of this thoughts once Drake said that. Oh no. The clock was ticking fast. If Hyper Beam connected, it would surely be over for Dragonite. There were people who had come so close to winning, only to fall to Drake's Dragonite. Ash wasn't about to join that list of people. He had proven that Drake was entirely beatable. He just had to believe in his Pokemon.

"Come on, Dragonite! I know you can get out of this! You can do it!" Ash hollered.

Ash's Dragonite did hear its trainer's words, but it was so weak and worn out. This was the most challenging opponent it had ever faced who outdid it in almost every category. It had never felt this much pain before. Dragonite still never wanted to fail Ash, however. That was the vow it made to itself when it evolved. It would protect Ash when it could at all cost and give him a Pokemon to be proud of. It would push away all of its fears and insecurities and become a brave and strong Pokemon. It couldn't lose now. It had a battle to win!

Drake's Dragonite began to charge up the Hyper Beam, and Ash's Dragonite took a deep breath as it prepared itself. It would be taking this attack at point blank range. If it were still a Dratini or even a Dragonair, it would be extremely afraid of the impending attack, but not anymore. Despite the huge amount of pain it was in, Dragonite gave resolute expression as it began to push against the Dragonite who had it pinned.

As Ash saw what it was doing, he began shouting encouragement to it. Pikachu added its own shouts seconds later. Serena, Leaf, Misty, and Tracey saw this as well, and they stood up from their seats and began to cheer as loud as they could for Ash and Dragonite. Despite the fact that it would seem impossible, Ash could swear he could hear his friends among the rest of the stadium. It didn't stop there, however. The people who were around his friends also stood up from their seat as they began to chant Ash and Dragonite's name.

It wasn't long before the whole stadium followed suit. They were all standing up from their seats as they cheered as loud as they could. Drake looked around in wonder at the whole stadium rooting for the battle. In all his years as the Orange League champion, he had never seen a crowd root for one person as much as they were for Ash. It was really something.

It appeared to be working, however. Dragonite could hear the whole stadium shouting encouragement at it as it struggled to overpower the stronger Dragonite. Most of all, it could hear Ash's shouts, and it wasn't about to let him down. The opposing Dragonite's eyes widened in utter shock as Ash's Dragonite began to actually force it back a little bit.

"What?" Drake questioned.

Ash, however, screamed his loudest yet. It was like with his and audience's screams combined, it was giving Dragonite the power to overcome its opponent. It began force Drake's Dragonite back even more as its opponent tried its best to keep its opponent in place. Ash knew that if his Dragonite had any hope of dodging this attack, it had to be now. That Hyper Beam was almost finished charging.

"Do it!" Ash hollered as loud as he could.

Dragonite gave a heave with all of its might and threw the opposing Dragonite off of its body. It then grabbed Drake's Dragonite by its throat and shoved its opponent's head directly into the sand just before it launched the Hyper Beam. There was a small flash before chaos broke loose on the battlefield.

If there was an eruption of sand from the first Hyper Beam, it was rather small compared to now. It was almost as if the whole sand field exploded. The ground shook from the force of powerful Hyper Beam inside of it. It went in all directions. Everyone in the vicinity had to duck to avoid being sprayed by sand. Ash and Drake got the worst of it, however. Ash turned away from the rush of sand and shielded his Pikachu from the blast. He could feel his back getting pelted continuously with tiny bits of sand, but he knew this discomfort was nothing compared to what the two Dragonite were experiencing right now.

Finally, the rush of sand stopped, and it began to settle down. The whole crowd slowly looked up from their hiding place from the explosion of sand. Serena, Leaf, Misty, and Tracey also peaked over, and were the first to fully come out. They stood up as they looked on, eager to see the results. That was really something. Despite this, nothing was showing yet as there was still a massive cloud of dust that was covering almost the entire battlefield.

Ash had his fists clenched as he and Pikachu waited. He began to fear the worst as he could hear no movement or sounds coming from inside the cloud. That wasn't good. Even if Drake's Dragonite was knocked out, it would mean nothing if his was, as well. Draws weren't an option. He had to win.

For the first time in a while, Drake looked worried as he looked on. That was the first time he could remember when a Pokemon had overpowered his Dragonite's strength like that. That was some will his opponent had. He knew that regardless of the results, that was a super powerful attack.

Everyone waited in anticipation to see what the final results were. The tension was killing them. Once dead quiet, a few murmurs began to sound throughout the crowd. Some were saying that Drake's Dragonite was knocked out. Some were saying Ash's Dragonite while some were saying both or neither were knocked out. Something big was surely about to happen. The murmurs died down again when the dust was finally starting to settle. Nobody wanted to miss this. Ash and Drake both squinted their eyes the hardest to try to see inside of the thinning sand cloud.

At last, after another thirty seconds, Ash and Drake began to see two outlines of figures which were most definitely their Dragonite. It was still hard to tell what stance they were in, though. The dust settled even more, and they both gasped when they saw at least one Dragonite was down while the other was still standing. That meant one of them won…and one of them just lost. The last of the dust settled, and Drake's Dragonite was unconscious on the ground with Ash's Dragonite standing over it. It was extremely bruised and looked ready to pass out itself, but it was still standing. The judge made his decision then.

"Drake's Dragonite is unable to battle! That means the winner of this competition and Orange League trophy goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" he declared.

"Ohhhh," Ash muttered, completely at a loss of what to say.

"The challenger wins the match! The challenger wins the match! The challenger wins the match!" the announcer screamed in excitement.

A picture of Ash and all of the Pokemon he used appeared on a large screen of the stadium. The word 'winner' was flashing back and forth continuously. Everyone in the crowd was standing up and chanting Ash's name back and forth while they clapped for him. All of Ash's friends, of course, were cheering the loudest out of all of them.

"He actually did it!" Misty exclaimed.

"They all did it," Leaf corrected.

"Man! I know I keep saying this, but I would love to get a sketch of all of Ash's Pokemon! I can't wait to see them all together when we go back to Pallet Town!" Tracey grinned.

"Heheheh…right, Tracey," Misty chuckled.

Serena's eyes shined as she watched Ash. She couldn't help but almost laugh as she saw Ash still looked completely stunned. He was so amazing. Maybe that fantasy she had of Ash being her hero wasn't that big of a stretch, after all. One could call her childish if they wished, but she didn't care. Serena couldn't be more proud of Ash at the moment.

Ash still stood there. His mind was still trying to completely register what had happened. It wasn't until Pikachu pulled on his pant leg and shouted at him did he finally seem to snap out of his trance.

"Pikachu…we won," he said.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu affirmed.

"We actually won," he repeated, a little louder this time.

"Chu!" Pikachu agreed again.

"We won!" Ash shouted as he leaped into the air with his fist held high.

Ash soon found himself tackled to the ground by his Dragonite which took him completely by surprise. It was extremely tired, but it still found the strength to give its trainer affection. It then picked Ash up and spun him around in a hug while Ash joyfully laughed.

"You were amazing, Dragonite. You have no idea how proud I am of you," Ash told it as Dragonite set him down.

Dragonite's eyes watered at that as it resisted the urge to wipe them. Those were the best words Ash could ever say to it, that he was proud of it. It was just as happy about winning the match as its beloved trainer was.

Drake stood for only a moment before he sighed and returned his Dragonite. Once it was back in, he smiled at the pokeball.

"You worked hard, my friend. Take a good rest," Drake said before he looked at the trainer who bested him.

Drake didn't know why, but he had a special feeling about this trainer the moment he met him. This kid was definitely something special, and Drake believed that he would go on to do any greater things. No doubt he was some kind of legend in the making. It was just his intuition. With a smile, Drake withdrew a trophy that he had been hiding on his side of the stadium and made his way over to Ash, who was still grinning broadly and hugging his Pikachu and Dragonite.

"Ash defeated the Orange League Champion! He will now receive the coveted Orange League trophy, and his name will go down forever in the Orange League Hall of Fame!" the announcer narrated.

"Ash," Drake spoke once he reached him.

"Drake," Ash replied as he turned away from his Pokemon to face him.

"That was well done, Ash. You really deserve this trophy. I'm proud to have had the chance to battle a trainer like you. You're an outstanding trainer," Drake told Ash as he handed the raven-haired boy the trophy.

"Well…yeah. Haha. It's only because I have outstanding Pokemon," Ash grinned.

"Yes. The dedication, teamwork, strategy, and love you have with your Pokemon to will take you even further. I don't say this to too many trainers, Ash, but I feel that you are special. I know that you will go on to win even more leagues," Drake said.

"Wow. Thanks, Drake," Ash smiled.

"Let's hear it one more time for Ash Ketchum, everyone!" the announcer shouted.

Ash looked around at all of the people cheering for him. He had actually done it. No. They did it. He and his Pokemon worked extremely hard to make it this far, and they succeeded. This was definitely one of the happiest moments of Ash's life right now. He knew it was cliche, but he almost felt like crying because he was so happy. He knew his mom probably was actually crying right now after seeing him win. He just did Pallet Town proud by winning the league. Mrs. Gabena. Mrs. Green, Professor Oak, Daisy, and Ms. Yellow had all probably watched him, as well, and were rooting just as hard. It was possible the surly Blue had watched him, too. In the back of his mind, Ash briefly wondered if his dad had managed to see this, too. He sure hoped so.

Regardless, Ash still took in this moment. It was his time to shine. He breathed a huge sigh of contentment. It hardly got better than this.

* * *

To say it was difficult for Ash to leave the stadium was an understatement. As soon as he stepped foot out of the trainer tunnel, he was bombarded with hundreds of new fans and a news crew who wanted interview him. The reporter managed to squeeze in front of everyone and eagerly shoved a microphone in Ash's face.

"Please! You have to tell us! How did you win the tournament?!" the reporter exclaimed.

"Uh…well…I just have really awesome Pokemon," Ash stuttered, not used to having this much attention. He still had his nervousness around cameras.

"Pika, Pikachu," Pikachu said a little nervously. All of this attention was aggravating it.

"I see! How often did you train every day!?" the reporter asked again.

"Umm…I'd say for at least a few hours, but they were always intense. I did miss a few days, but we always made up for it," Ash replied, a little more confidently.

"We love you, Ash!" a few random fan girls called out to him.

Ash didn't quite know what to make of all this. Sure, he was overjoyed and proud that he won, but he had no idea he would receive _this_ much attention. Did all winners of any tournament have to go through this? It was pretty overwhelming.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?" the reporter questioned.

"Uh…hi, Mom!" Ash said as he grinned at the camera and held up his two fingers in a V shape, and Pikachu mimicked his actions.

"Ash!"

Ash turned and smiled wide when he saw Serena. She fought her way to the crowd and met Ash with a big hug. Leaf, Misty, and Tracey soon followed her in with just as much excitement.

"I'm so proud of you, Ash! You did amazing!" Serena cried as she continued to hug him.

"Heheh. I couldn't have done it without your help in the middle and my Pokemon," Ash said.

"The champion has a girlfriend! What's it like to be the girlfriend of a champion?! Give the champion a big kiss for the camera!" the reporter said to Serena now as she shifted attention.

"What? Uhhhh…," Serena muttered, rather surprised that the news crew was focusing on her now.

Ash soon felt a pair of hands rest on his shoulders. He spun around to find Drake standing there with a gentle smile on his face. Drake nodded his head at the reporter who understood the message and backed off a little bit. Ash was rather impressed with this. It seemed like Drake commanded just as much respect here as Lance or Blue did back in Kanto.

"I think it's a little noisy here, Ash. Why don't you and your friends come with me to the Hall of Fame so I can get you registered?" he suggested.

"Yeah. Thanks, Drake," Ash replied as he and the others began to make their way to the Hall of Fame a distance off. The crowd split as they stood off to the side to make a path for them to walk through.

As they made their way through, Ash raised his eyebrow as he sensed something strange. He turned around to see Tracey had his sketchbook out and was trying to draw Ash and walk at the same time. Misty saw what he was doing and rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, Tracey?" she asked.

"What? Even though we're friends, Ash is still a champion!" Tracey defended.

* * *

About ten minutes later, the group found themselves in front of a large set of double doors. They remembered seeing this place off in the distance since they've been here, but it was larger and more majestic looking than they thought up close. Huge pillars adorned the outside which held up the entrance. To top it off, there were several Dragonite statues lining the walkway.

Drake took out a pair of keys and unlocked the door before he pushed it open. He did with surprisingly little effort. He then motioned for the group to follow him as he made his way in. The group looked around in wonder as they walked in. It looked just as large on the inside as on the outside.

Several glass cases and plaques were around the room as they made their way through. Various pictures of trainers and their Pokemon were on the walls as they went further in. It was quite a sight to see. They almost felt privileged to be in here. Well, it technically was a privilege as only Drake, past champions, or Orange League winners and their friends or family could in here except on very special occasions.

"Wow…," Misty breathed.

"This is so cool, Ash. Your name is going to be in here forever," Leaf muttered in awe.

Ash just had his mouth hung open as he looked around. He was still trying take in the fact that he just won the Orange League tournament. This was almost like a dream. Drake made his way over to spot that didn't have a display case yet and stood by it.

"Here's where your name will be, Ash. Once we have you and your Pokemon registered, you'll never lose your spot here," Drake presented as he set down a picture of Ash and the six Pokemon he used along with a piece of cement with their hand or foot prints on it. They had done that back in the stadium. His section would probably expand once the registration was complete like others. He would have to come back again before he leaves for Pallet Town to see the official one.

"This is so great," Ash smiled as he looked at the photo of him and his Pokemon. Drake then handed him a pen.

"Of course, no honor is complete without the trainer's autograph. If you would please sign your name on that photo," Drake said.

"Of course!" Ash smiled and scribbled his signature on the lower right corner of the photo and handed the pen back to Drake.

"So do you come in here often to look at all of the challengers?" Leaf asked him.

"You know, I actually don't. My name is in here, too, for when I first became a winner of the Orange League and defeated the previous Orange Crew leader," Drake responded.

"How long ago was that?" Misty asked this time.

"I'd say it was about ten years ago," Drake recalled as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"Everyone told me you were extremely tough and one of the best trainers around. They weren't kidding. That was probably the hardest match I ever had," Ash said seriously.

"Yeah. The only people that had ever been able to beat me are you and one other person," Drake replied.

"Oh! That's right!" Ash exclaimed as his eyes lit up in remembrance. "Will show us who the other trainer was who beat you?"

The others looked at Drake expectantly. Drake gave a light chuckle and nodded his head.

"Alright. Follow me. I'll show you where he is," Drake said as turned and walked in the opposite direction.

The others followed him. They didn't know why, but they were really curious who it was. It was like they had some strange connection with him, particularly Ash. He didn't quite know when it started. When he first learned about the previous Orange League winner, he was just another person who Ash thought was a darn good trainer. What interested him was when other leaders kept saying they never got his name or how Ash's battling style was just like the previous winner.

"So what was this guy like, anyway?" Ash wondered. "We heard about him everywhere we go, but nobody ever could give us a lot of information.

"He was…unique. That's for sure," Drake said. "He never even gave me his name until we were here in the Hall of Fame. He only said it because I told him it was required to register him. Even when he did, he said it with contempt which surprised me a little bit…particularly when he said his last name."

"So did he hate his name? Did it sound funny?" Misty joked.

"No. It was just a normal name to me. I can't understand why he would dislike it, and of course, I didn't ask as it was none of my business," Drake responded.

"He sounds like a jerk to me," Misty muttered.

"You sure have described him as that a lot, Misty," Serena commented.

"Here he is," Drake presented as he stopped at a display case on the opposite side from where Ash's was.

The group crowded around the display case as they wanted to get a good look at the guy. They finally saw him. He was surrounded by his Pokemon behind him. Some of them the group didn't recognize, but the weird thing was that his Pokemon weren't smiling. They almost looked intimidating and a little scary. As for the trainer himself, he was teenager with rather long and thick red hair that reached just past his shoulders. He wore a black jacket and had on black pants. Like his Pokemon, he wasn't smiling at all. He wore such a serious expression on his face. The last thing the group noticed about him were his eyes. They harbored no friendliness in them at all. All of them except Tracey were highly reminded of Paul's eyes, but unlike Paul, who was just cold, this trainer actually looked…hostile.

"So this is the trainer. He doesn't look very friendly," Leaf commented.

"He sure looks strong, though. Those Pokemon look like they could take on several trainers at once," Misty added.

"Hmmm...," Tracey muttered as he squinted his eyes and tried to get a sketch of the trainer and his Pokemon.

Serena was looking the guy over herself. Yes. This guy didn't look like someone who wanted be messed with. The look in his eyes was quite unnerving to her. She tore her eyes away from the photo and instead chose to look at her boyfriend. Unfortunately, Ash hadn't taken his eyes off of the photo since they started looking at it.

That's when Serena noticed something strange about Ash. It didn't look like he was staring at the photo curiously anymore. His eyes were wide and his mouth was open in shock. It was like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. What was it about his guy that had Ash's attention like that?

"What's wrong, Ash?" Serena asked.

The others then noticed this, too, and gave him an inquisitive look.

"No way," was all Ash said.

"What is it, Ash?" Serena asked again.

Ash didn't respond as he kept looking at the photo in shock. It was like he was in a trance. Since he didn't answer, the rest of the group searched his eyes to see if he was staring at something particularly in the photo. They saw where he was looking and followed his gaze down to the trainer's signature in the photo corner. That's right. They didn't see what his name was yet. They took one look at the signature, and all of their eyes widened in surprise. They all turned to Ash, and now knew why he couldn't take his eyes off of the photo.

The signature read 'Silver Ketchum'.

* * *

It was almost nighttime, and Ash was finally getting some peace and quiet at the Pokemon Center. After he had left the Hall of Fame, he was once again greeted by new fans who wanted his autograph. They hadn't left him alone the entire day. Now, the crowd had seemed to have died down now that they had all the time they needed with Ash. Needless to say, the Pallet Town trainer was extremely beat.

He was plopped down on the Pokemon Center sofa in the lobby with everyone else next to him. While they were conversing about various things, Ash was just thinking about one thing. It wasn't about his most recent victory, either. He still couldn't believe that the trainer who won five years ago was none other than the brother that his mom had with Giovanni…most likely anyway.

Though Ash had been the only one who had heard his brother's name in the past. The others still knew he had a long lost brother from the big reveal when Ash had his last face off with Giovanni. They could put two and two together to know what he was thinking.

"You know, Ash, his name could just be a coincidence. He didn't even look like you," Leaf tried once it had been a solid thirty minutes, and Ash hadn't bothered to join in the conversations.

"Hmmm…," Ash mused, but said nothing else.

"Even if he was, is it really that big of a deal?" Tracey wondered, being the only one out of the loop.

"You don't know the history of how Ash learned he had a brother, Tracey. This is really big news to him," Serena told him.

Ash didn't confirm or deny Serena's claims. Why it normally wouldn't come as such of a shock, it was the boy's apparent demeanor that shocked Ash the most. He looked so angry and miserable. He made Paul look like a docile baby Growlithe. It was as though the boy hated life itself, and that was just from the photo he saw. Whether he was better or worse in real life, Ash had no clue. Did he really despise his family and history that much to where he hesitated to even give Drake his name for the Hall of Fame?

Leaf did have a somewhat valid point, though. There was no actual proof that he was Ash's brother rather than a name alone. The world was an extremely big place, and there may be several people with the same name as him. However, there was one way to rectify that.

"I think I'm going to call my mom. She's probably been waiting for me to call her all day," Ash stated as he got up from the couch with Pikachu following him.

The others nodded their head at this. They knew Ash was going to call his mom regardless after the tournament. Now, there was another motive he had to confirm.

Ash sat down in front of the video phone and dialed the number to his house. After a few rings, the phone was picked up and the face of Ash's mother appeared on the screen. She looked really worn out, but the second she saw her son was on the phone, she immediately perked up.

"Ash!" she greeted happily.

"Hi, Mom! Guess what?!" Ash grinned.

"What?!" Delia asked, though she already knew what he wanted to tell her.

"I won the Orange League Championship!" he stated and held his two fingers up in a V-shape.

"I'm so proud for you, Ash! We all saw the whole thing on television!" Delia exclaimed. "We couldn't stop talking about it! I just now got back home from Professor Oak's!"

"Thanks, Mom," Ash replied as he rubbed the back of his head. So everyone really had watched him.

"We are going to have such a celebration for you when you get home!" Delia told him. "Rose has already sent out the postcards to everyone who is invited!"

"Sounds great!" Ash smiled.

Delia then hesitated slightly. "We sent an invitation for your father to come, as well. Whether he's going to be too busy or not to come is up in the air."

"I know. I understand he's really busy so it's okay. I'll have to make sure to give him a call. I bet he'll be thrilled to know I won the league."

"Oh, I'm sure he knows," Delia smiled. "Riley told me that he got a hold of your dad and told him that you were entering the Orange League championship and what channel to find it on."

 _"Probably through aura,"_ Ash thought, since he knew that was best way to communicate when it came to his dad.

"Well, we'll be on our way home tomorrow! I can't wait to see you and everyone else!" Ash said.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu waved. Serena set Togepi down on the counter so it could wave to Delia, too.

"Oh, hello, Pikachu, and to you, Togepi!" Delia replied and waved back.

"You know, when I won today, Drake said I was the first trainer to win in five years," Ash started, deciding now was a good time to switch to the other topic.

"Goodness! Really?!" Delia gasped. "Well, that just proves what an exceptional trainer you are! I couldn't have asked for a better son!"

Ash thought it was funny she should say that considering what he was about to say. "Yeah. I first heard about that when we came to the Orange Islands, but we knew nothing about this previous trainer, only that he and I battle a lot alike. When I won, I finally got to see what he looked like and what his name was," he continued.

"Oh? What was it?" Delia asked, though it was clear she wasn't that interested.

"Mom, what did my…brother look like?" Ash asked.

"Oh? Um…why are you wanting to know?" Delia wondered. That had really come out of nowhere to her? Why on Earth would Ash ask that now of all times?

"The trainer's name was Silver Ketchum," Ash finished a little lowly.

Delia's eyes visibly widened when Ash said that. Despite this shock, she began taking a few short breaths.

"Mom?" Ash questioned. He knew something like this would upset her, but he had to know.

"No, Ash. It's fine. He had dark eyes, but not like yours…like Giovanni's. The most distinguished feature about him was he had long and thick red hair from what I could remember. He loved it that way," Delia responded.

"…It's him," Ash muttered, while his friends behind him frowned.

At this, his mother began to sniff as her eyes watered a little. Ash gasped when his mother started doing this and hurried to apologize. He certainly didn't want to make her cry by having her recall bad memories!

"Mom! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you," Ash apologized.

"No. If anything, I'm glad you told me this," Delia cried. "Even if it was a long time ago, that lets me know that Silver was doing well and that he was alive. Just like he wanted, he's trying to become a Pokemon Master and following his dream. I now have both my sons to be proud of for winning the Orange League."

"Mom…," Ash mumbled, as he teared up himself.

Even after all this time, his mother still loved Silver just as much as she did back then. It proved that even though she never showed it, she worried for Silver every day just like she worried for Ash. How could his brother be so cold and stupid to shun such a loving and caring woman as his mother? She really did love him after all this time. If Ash could see Silver right now, he'd probably beat the crap out of him and drag him back to Pallet Town so he could apologize. That fantasy was extremely unlikely, however.

Delia must have noticed the tense look on Ash's face with what she said next. "Ash, please don't hate Silver. He really did have a lot to go through once he found out Giovanni was his father. I never told you this, but he let it slip to his friends one day, and he lost all of them since he was the son of someone in Team Rocket."

Ash felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind in a comforting hug. Ash didn't have to turn around to know that it was Serena. Hate was never one of Ash's strong traits. As much as he wanted to kick Silver's butt, his Mom didn't wish it. If anything, she probably had a fantasy in her mind that they would meet one day and be the best of friends. Though Ash doubted it, he wasn't going to go against his mother's wishes.

"Alright. I'll never understand him, but I won't hate him," Ash said at last.

"Thank you, Ash. That means a lot. Your father and I don't hate him so you shouldn't, either," his mom stated.

"Right," Ash agreed.

"Ash," his mother spoke once more. "If you ever hear about Silver or how he's doing like you did today…would you please let me know?"

Ash hesitated at giving his replay. However, his mother's pleading eyes made him respond in the positive. "…Yes."

* * *

It was rather late at night now, almost eleven o'clock. Ash was lying down in his bed with his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. The truth was he was extremely tired after today, but with all of the excitement, he found it hard to sleep. Too many thoughts were going through his head ranging from the tournament he just won, to how he was one step closer to being a Pokemon Master, and the revelation that the last winning trainer was none other than his brother.

Ash gave another sigh as he listened to Pikachu and Tracey's soft snores. If he didn't fall asleep soon, he would be pretty tired tomorrow. That wasn't too big of a deal as they would be traveling on ferries all day and he could sleep then, but still, sleeping late in the day was something he had sort of grown out of now that he was a Pokemon trainer. If he even slept past eight in the morning, it felt weird.

Ash raised his eyebrows when he heard his Pokegear vibrate. He turned his head and groped in the darkness for the device until his hands finally found it. Who would be calling him at this hour? Ash soon found his answer when the light up caller ID revealed it to be none other than his dad, Red Ketchum.

Ash quickly but quietly stood up from his bed and headed towards the bathroom so he could talk in private. Though both Tracey and Pikachu were clearly asleep, he didn't want to wake them. Ash turned on the light of the bathroom and closed the door before he answered.

"Hey, dad," Ash greeted.

"Hey, Ash. Did I wake you?" Red asked.

"No. You didn't. I was just lying in bed and thinking about today," Ash replied truthfully.

"Sorry I called so late. This was the only time today I could find to call you," Red said before he continued. "I saw you today, you know."

"You did?!" Ash exclaimed in excitement but quickly lowered his voice. "That's great. I'm really glad you did."

"Heh. I wasn't going to miss the chance of seeing you compete in a huge tournament like the Orange League. Aerodactly was screeching at the television screen the whole time in excitement," Red told him.

"Great. How is Aerodactly?" Ash questioned.

"Truthfully, it's doing great, Ash. You won't believe how far it's come since the Pokemon League. In fact, the next time I see you, I may be tempted to give it back to you," Red said.

Ash couldn't hide the large grin that was coming to his face at those words. He was sure his dad could sense it, as well, as there was a slight chuckle. His Aerodactly was doing great. The fact that he would be able to battle and train with it soon really made him happy.

"That's awesome. Thanks, Dad," Ash responded as he turned a little red in embarrassment. To hear his dad say that about Aerodactyl made the whole thing worthwhile. By the way Red made it seem, Aerodactly had completely overcome its primal instincts. Ash was almost tempted to ask what his dad's secret was.

"I also heard you saved the world. Riley told me," Red mentioned, switching topics

"Oh. Heheh. Yeah. I was actually the Chosen One," Ash said.

"Slow down, son. Don't become a legend too fast," Red joked before his tone grew a little serious. "You know, I spoke with Riley while he was on Shamouti Island. We both discussed about you a lot."

"Oh. Umm…what was it about?" Ash wondered.

"It was nothing bad. We were just wondering what it is about you that make you special. We both sensed that you would be the one to save the world. We also believe you're in a lot of other prophecies, too. It's like you're destined to be great. Sir Aaron's blood really runs strong in you," Red told him.

"Destined…to be great? Like what?" Ash asked curiously.

"We don't know that, but it wouldn't surprise us if there were stories of the great Ash Ketchum to go on for centuries," Red said in a slightly humorous tone.

"Oh. Come on," Ash said with a roll of his eyes.

"Well, the fact that you won the incredibly difficult Orange League does prove how great you are. That's something your old man hasn't even done yet," Red said.

"Really?" Ash asked in a slightly surprised tone.

"Yes, really. I competed in the league just over twenty years ago. I made it all the way to the finals and lost to the champion," Red replied.

"Wow. I never knew that," Ash said. Add that to another list of things he didn't know about his dad. Next time he sees Red, whenever that was, he would just like to have a father-to-son talk with him to learn all about what his dad had achieved when he was younger. The fact that Ash heard that his father lost did tell him that even he wasn't perfect sometimes. It humanized him.

That was when Ash remembered something. He had just won a league, and he remembered a promise his dad had given him should he win a league.

"Hey, Dad. About my win today, does that mean I've reached the strongest I can be? Am I ready to learn about aura?" Ash asked, almost eagerly.

There was a slight pause on the other end. It was a little unnerving for Ash to have that after they had been having such a blast talking to each other so far. Did he say something wrong? Was the topic of aura still sensitive?

"I promise to start training you in the near future. Not now, though. Despite you winning the tournament, I still don't think you've reached your peak limit yet. Remember what I said. Aura can only help you when you've reached your full limit without it," Red told him at last.

"Heh. Guess I better start working out," Ash chuckled.

"That's not what I meant. I was talking about taking care of yourself. You're still too dependent on your friends, Ash. Using aura requires a great deal of self-discipline and the ability to take care of oneself. That's what's holding you back," Red said.

"Oh. Right," Ash muttered. He really could learn something like that. If only Brock was still here to teach him like he taught Serena.

"Also, you're still twelve, and aura takes a great deal of mental effort…far exceeding that of someone who isn't even a teenager yet," Red added.

"So I have to at least wait another year," Ash mumbled.

"It's for your own good, Ash," Red sighed. "Riley and I just want you to be safe. Keep in mind that we both didn't even have our aura training until we were sixteen."

Ash nodded his head at that, even though he knew Red couldn't see it. In truth, his dad did have a good point. The fact that he completely failed to use his aura when he needed it back when those capture devices were trying to get them proved that he wasn't ready yet. There was no way he could control it yet. Every time before that was pure luck.

"Alright, Dad. I'll do it. I'm still holding you up to our deal back then," Ash said as his good mood returned.

"I intend to keep it. I look forward to hearing about your growth, Ash. You really do make me proud," Red stated.

"Heh. Thanks, Dad," Ash replied as he turned a little red. To hear a great trainer like his dad say he was proud of him washed away any down feelings he had earlier.

"I'll let you get to sleep then. Good night, son," Red said.

"Yeah. Good night, Dad," Ash responded as he hung up the phone.

Ash was able to fall asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow next. His night was full of blissful dreams.

* * *

The group was standing in front of the docks the next morning. This would be the first ferry of a few changeovers before they finally would get to one that would lead them back to Kanto. As the group waited for the time to board the ferry, they began to reminisce of all they had done on the Orange Islands. It had been quite an experience for everyone in the group. This place was special to all of them.

For Misty, she had competed and won in the Water Pokemon tournament. Best of all, she had met Rudy again, and they both made a promise to see each other again when the time was right. Leaf had gotten an incredible amount of data on her pokedex. Some were a direct result of the Orange Islands like the different types of patterns on certain Pokemon. Others were because of trainers who had Pokemon not native to Kanto. Tracey turned out to be helpful to the group when it came to Pokemon knowledge and would finally have his dream of meeting Professor Oak…and being able to speak to him this time. Serena had found what her calling in life was and met the famous Pokemon performer, Aria. Lastly was Ash, who competed and won in the Orange League.

"I'm sure going to miss this place. The weather was great, and the temperature was perfect…err…in natural conditions," Misty commented.

"We know what you mean. These constant sea breezes were so refreshing," Leaf replied as she let the wind blow through her chestnut-colored hair.

"So what are you two going to do once we get back?" Serena asked them.

"To be honest, I'd be really happy to stay with you and Ash again. Wherever you guys go sounds good to me. I bet there would be some great water Pokemon tournaments around. I can't stop now that I've gotten the kick start I need," Misty responded.

"I don't know. I love both you and Ash, but I may travel by myself again. I haven't decided yet where I'll be, though," Leaf said as she rubbed the back of her neck nervously, not too different from how Ash does.

"I don't know, either. Just the fact that I'm going to meet Professor Oak is good enough for me," Tracey jumped in.

Ash wasn't paying too much attention to the conversation. He was lost in thought again about what his next step was. His Dad told him that he had to learn to take care of himself and not be so dependent. He soon thought about where he could learn, though. Sure. Serena was doing quite well for herself, but she was his girlfriend. Despite being able to spend more time with each other, it would be a little awkward to have his girlfriend teach him how to take care of himself. Leaf was his best friend and didn't exactly seem like a suitable candidate, either. Misty…heh…she would probably scream out in frustration about how clueless he was when it came to matters like that. Man. If only Brock was here. Regardless, he would find some way.

Another thing he was thinking about was where he would visit next. Sure, he would stay in Pallet Town for a short amount of time, but there was still the whole world to see. He still had so many places he hadn't been to yet: Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos, to just name a few. It would be so hard to choose. All of them would be so interesting and unique in their own way.

"Hey, Ash. What are you thinking about?" Serena asked him.

"Just about what my next step is in becoming a Pokemon Master," Ash replied.

"Already? We haven't even made it back to Pallet Town yet," Misty said in surprise.

"A Pokemon Master never rests!" Ash declared as he held his fist in the air.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed from his shoulder and mimicked Ash's motions.

"Well, you're already an Orange League Master, Ash. I'd say you're on your way," Leaf smiled.

"Oh, speaking of winning the Orange League, didn't you promise something to give me as a reward, Serena?" Ash asked her.

"Y-yes, Ash. I did. You'll receive it in your room when we get back to Pallet Town," Serena replied as she blushed, but then face-palmed at her own choice of words.

At that, Tracey burst out laughing while Misty and Leaf tried hard to stifle their giggles. Serena blushed furiously while Ash stared blankly. The way Serena worded the question and his tone made it come out very, very wrong.

"I can't wait!" Ash grinned as Leaf, Misty, and Tracey couldn't contain how hard they were laughing now.

"S-stop it, guys! You know it's not like that!" Serena groaned at them as she blushed.

"We know. We know, Serena," Leaf said as she, Misty, and Tracey calmed down. The poor girl could use a break.

"A-anyway, that sounds great, Ash. I'm sure you'll love it when you see it. It's not done yet, though," Serena told him as she quickly tried to get her blush to go away.

"Sounds good!" Ash nodded.

At that, a whistle blew from beside them. That was the cue for them to board the ferry. They all took one last good look at Pummelo Island before they boarded the ship. For Ash, he made sure to take an extra long look at Pummelo Stadium in the distance. It was the sight of his first victory at a league. He was an Orange League Champion.

It was time to say goodbye to the Orange Islands. It had been a great experience for them. What was seemingly just going to be an ordinary vacation turned out to be so much more than that. It had been filled with fun, but also intense training, learning, and growing for them all.

Yes. With all that had happened here, the group could only imagine what was in store for them next. Whatever their next adventure held, it would probably be their greatest one yet. Now that they all had time to grow and mature since beginning their journeys almost two years ago, they could now get serious about their careers, whether it be the best trainer of water Pokemon like Misty, a pokedex compler like Leaf, or the greatest Pokemon Watcher like Tracey.

That extended to Ash and Serena, as well. Serena had finally found her calling in life and could pursue it. Ash had finally won a league, and that was the boost he need to kick start his own dream…that of becoming a Pokemon Master. Yes. It had been difficult so far, but he was slowly but surely reaching it.

One thing is for certain, brand new adventures were awaiting each of them just over the horizon.

* * *

 **Well, another milestone done! Thanks to everyone for sticking with me through the Orange Islands arc. Now I can get started on what is probably the arc I've been looking forward to doing the most out of the whole series...even more than Hoenn and Sinnoh. I'll try really hard in the Johto arc to make it as unique and great as possible. It will be the most intense and dark of the arcs to date...and it will just get darker from here on out. Also, lots of characters will finally make their appearance (i.e Jimmy, Marina, Lyra, Shauna, Trevor, Tierno, and a surprise appearance from someone else!). As far as Pokemon goes, there is a pretty good chance Ash will get Aipom and Gligar there in Johto rather than wait until the Battle Frontier or Sinnoh. Please continue to support me as I tackle the next region! It may be just as long or longer than the Kanto arc! The Johto arc will be up some time in late March. To help ease the pain of waiting, I shall tease to all of you the chapter titles of the first three chapters:**

 **Chapter One: Ruthless Eyes**

 **Chapter Two: A Rivalry Reborn**

 **Chapter Three: The Terrifying Tale of Tohjo Falls  
**

 **Good news also by the way. I may soon only have one job instead of two as I met my goal of saving money. More time away from work means more time to write which means faster updates. It won't happen just yet, though, but it won't be too long. Until then, chapters will still be posted twice a month. I haven't decided on the dates yet.**

 **Also, with the recent reveal of the Gen 7 titles, Pokemon Sun and Moon, it may mean a different approach on this story. There will probably be Gen 7 characters added, and if anything new from Gen 7 comes into play, I may incorporate it into the story. However, I don't know all of this for certain yet as we have no information on it.**

 **Someone once asked me what inspired to write this story, and the truth is I just wanted to make a great Pokemon story. There are several rewrites of Ash's journey out there, but they all die off after the first ten or chapters and never get completed. It was then I decided to take on the task myself. I chose amourshipping because at the time it was still new and the most popular ship as well as something I was wanting to try. Since also, at the time, there weren't many amourshipping fics out there. With that being said, I sometimes wonder if I had started this fic at a different time from when amour was still new if I would still make it an amourshipping fic. The truth is...I don't know. The point is I chose amourshipping now, and I don't want to change it. I've already completed two arcs so I hope I can keep up this pace. So far, I am happy with this series and the way it has turned out. Of course, there are always a few things I would do differently than I did before, but that's with everyone. This will never be a perfect fanfic in my eyes or any of your eyes, but my main goal is to make this entertaining. I at least think I have done that.  
**

 **Thanks once again to everyone who has supported me throughout this arc. You guys have been awesome. In fact, a lot of you have been with me long enough to where I'll tell you all my first name so you can address me by it if you wish. I've talked with many of you via PM, and all of you addressing me by my pen name is getting a little strange.  
**

 **It's Jason.**


End file.
